


Crouching Cowboy, Hidden Dragon

by aphelia, RaeValentine



Series: In calamity, love [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Relationships, M/M, weredragon!Hanzo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-07-21 23:30:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 23,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7409488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aphelia/pseuds/aphelia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeValentine/pseuds/RaeValentine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>McCree could never trust someone who took the life of someone close to him. But when he realizes there's more to Hanzo than meets the eye, he becomes hooked to know more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Impressions of a cold man

McCree always thought there was something odd about the bowman. From the way he tended to keep to himself, to the bad blood that seemed to be between him and Genji. While the rest of the crew in Overwatch tended to crowd together on nights when they were all in the safe house and without a mission to do, Jesse saw that Hanzo never stuck around, choosing to retire to his room or the training room to practice shooting off arrow after arrow. After a few months, he had eventually learnt that Hanzo had made Genji the way he was, having almost killed him in a battle Genji still refused to talk about, and for good reason. With that, even McCree, who usually found it hard to dislike others, found himself struggling to like Hanzo. After all, he had nothing good to base any goodwill towards him. Eventually, he decided enough was enough. Even on missions Hanzo was too quiet for his liking, which made him feel like he couldn’t trust the man with his life. So, he decided to take matters into his own hands. 

Cornering Hanzo one night in the training room, he watched for a few minutes as the man fired off arrow after arrow, his yukata hanging below, revealing his back. Jesse took a few moments to admire the way the muscles on Hanzo’s sweat covered back almost shimmered as he pulled the string of his bow back, displaying his almost hidden strength. McCree couldn’t let himself get too caught up in it however, and cleared his throat, alerting Hanzo to his presence. At least, he had thought so.

“What do you want, McCree? If you want the training room to yourself, you can have it in another 15 minutes.” Hanzo didn't turn around to address the cowboy, just keeping up his constant firing into the riddled targets.

“Well nice to hear more than a sentence come out of you, darlin’” McCree said, exerting his southern charm. “I just came to talk to ya, see if I could learn more about you. After all, we are working together.”

In reality it was true, he did want to learn more about Hanzo. But not entirely because he was working with him. More so just so he could see if his hate towards him was entirely founded. It wasn’t like he could say he was a patron saint who didn’t have blood on his hands but even he felt that killing your own brother was worthy enough for some disdain. Which seemed to be the sentiment of everyone working at Overwatch. The Japanese man sighed, letting his bow rest beside him. Turning to face Jesse, the American noticed that his eyes seemed to be slightly luminescent, but when he blinked, they were back to their normal brown.

“All you need to know, McCree, is that while I guard your back, no harm shall come to you. Although, I suspect you, like the others here, do not trust me to do that.” McCree froze.

“I know my brother has told you I was the one who put him in his new.... _form_. And that everyone here has a bond with him. I am unable to change people’s minds once they are made. Just like one cannot change a flowing stream.”

Hanzo walked slowly up to McCree, who tried to say something in reply. After all, he was all too aware of what it felt like to know people hated you. And yet here he was, hating someone for the actions of their past, when he had done the same. He had killed, taken people’s fates into his own hands, and ended theirs just as swiftly with PeaceKeeper. But, before he could get a word out, Hanzo was beside him, brushing against him as he walked out of the gym, the heady smell of the Japanese man filling the Cowboy’s senses.

“Do yourself a favour, Cowboy. Do not go against the flow.” And with that, Hanzo had left, leaving McCree alone, trying to compose himself.

“Well that was interesting.” he muttered under his breath, more interested to know about the bowman than ever.


	2. The mysteries of trees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you sit in trees, you're bound to fall.

McCree thought long and hard about the conversation he had had the other night with Hanzo. It felt threatening, almost like a monster baring his fangs. For the first time, he felt less angry at the Japanese man, and more fearful. Which brought his mind to other things. After all, he had personally seen Genji in battle, who was fearsome in his own right, deflecting bullets lightning fast with his swords. He then wondered how strong Hanzo would of had to have been to have taken down his brother. Especially considering that Genji would most likely have been able to deflect his arrows easily, and that he had personally seen the dragon that Genji summoned when he went into his “Dragonblade” mode. Could they both control each other's dragons? Just how did Hanzo destroy his brother in such a way that it seemed all that was left of him was a charred body badly disfigured to the point where he was barely recognized as human.

He remembered that day almost as clearly as it had been yesterday. While he never learnt who - or what, had put him in such a state, he remembered the smell and the way Genji looked like he was in so much pain that it was a miracle and a curse that he was still conscious while Mercy worked on him, fixing him. The only thing to pull him out of his thoughts was a large crash he heard just outside his window, followed by the sound of metal hitting the ground.

Curious, the cowboy got out of his bed, which was more or less an army cot with a few blankets strewn lazily upon it and looked outside his window. What he was met with was something he didn’t expect. It was Hanzo, or more specifically, one of his legs. In the large tree that grew outside McCree’s window, he saw the bowman sitting almost peacefully, if it weren't for the fact he was missing one of his prosthetics.

“D’ya need some help there, pardner?” Jesse said, loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to wake anyone up who might have been sleeping. Then again, if they could sleep through the racket that Hanzo’s leg made, they could probably sleep through him yelling into the night. Hanzo, to his credit, seemed unfazed by McCree’s almost sudden appearance.

“I will be fine, thank you for offering.” His tone was cold, and had a feeling of great restraint to it.

“I insist, darlin’. I’m sure you can’t get down from that tree without putting stress on your other leg.”

McCree was all too aware of what having prosthetics were like, and how much missing one could hinder day to day functions. Not that a day to day activity was jumping out of trees almost 2 stories high. Hanzo moved his head to face McCree, and then with a slight smirk on his face, slid gracefully out of the tree, landing on the ground in a tucked roll. When he stopped, he found himself sprawled on the ground close enough to his leg to grab it and slip it back on. Jesse almost found it comical, and at the same time slightly sad. It felt like Hanzo was more than used to having to get his own prosthetics when he went climbing up trees. The cowboy felt an easy solution to that problem would have been to climb up less trees, but then realized with Hanzo’s job as a sniper, being in high hidden places was a necessity, and that meant if his leg fell off, he couldn't rely on others to pick it up for him. And, unlike in McCree’s case, he couldn’t continue to move forward if he did lose it. While he was lost in thought, he failed to notice Hanzo slip off into the night, to brood somewhere else. When McCree did notice, he felt a feeling of resolve wash over him. He was going to help that man, even if he didn’t entirely like him. After all, they were a team now, and teams stuck together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> be surprised i could write 2 chapters in one night.  
> Again, huge props to raevalentine for helping me out. T v T  
> I will try to write more to this because I want to actually get to the were part of the fic ' q'
> 
> Drop me a line at: apheliavampire.tumblr.com


	3. The long ride out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> McCree spends time thinking about events, and stuff actually happens

It felt like months since McCree had encountered Hanzo up in the tree at night, when in reality it had only been a few days. The problem with being cooped up inside with little else to do made days blend into each other. What could have been a few minutes felt like hours. And so, as time slipped by slowly, McCree replayed the encounter he had. Once he was out of the moment and was able to look at it at his own pace, he started to pick up on things. Hanzo seemed more than acceptant of his role of being alone, even more so than someone who would have been forced to be ostracized. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it felt like his behaviour was something of a shield that he had learnt to put up at an early age. A shield that, above all, protected himself from being emotionally hurt by others. McCree wasn’t a stranger to that, after the events that landed him in Blackwatch, he too had tried his hardest not to let others get too close. Those whom he had formed bonds with betrayed him, and led him into a trap. But with the help of those around him, he learned to let his guard down around those with whom he could trust. However every time he thought about it, he realized no-one had judged him from the start. No-one saw him for his exploits as a member of the Deadlock gang, or for the shadier side of Blackwatch that occurred years later. All they saw was Jesse McCree, best gunslinger to have on your side in a firefight. It was then he suddenly felt sorrow for Hanzo. After all, here he was, a man placed into a strange place, surrounded by people who hated him right off the bat. And if Jesse’s intuition was correct, he was already used to being hated, being feared for what he could do to others. As Jesse finally decided to act upon his thoughts, Winston came into the room where he and several other agents sat idly, some playing card games and others taking care of their weapons to keep them in peak condition.

“Everyone, we have a mission.” he stated, waving a holo clipboard in front of them, causing everyone who wasn’t already standing to jump to their feet. Everyone was of course excited to be going out of the base, even if not all of them were selected for the mission. It almost felt like a lottery, except instead of winning money, you won the chance to go out and get your hands dirty. Of course, not all cases called for gun fire, but it still felt good to get out of the safe house. Winston read off a list of names, to which McCree noticed that both his and Hanzo’s names were on, along with Genji, Lucio and Lena.

‘A stealth mission then?’ he mused to himself as he and the others followed Winston to the conference room. To call it a conference room was being generous, as it was really just a small wooden round table and a few chairs, along with a white board that had been converted with the help of Torbjorn to make it more like the holographic clipboard Winston had now placed haphazardly on the table in front of him, swiping at it to put the details of their mission on the large whiteboard for everyone to see. As everyone got seated, Hanzo walked in last, his hair that was usually tied up in a ponytail now hanging loose. Even his usual yukata was gone, replaced with a casual look of what looked to be cotton pants and a loose fitting black shirt. McCree thought about what the shirt hid, remembering the sight of Hanzo’s bare back and chest he had seen when he decided to reach out to the Japanese man. Forcefully, he pulled himself away from the thoughts when the man he had just been thinking about sat next to him. For a moment, McCree was pleased, believing he had made a breakthrough with Hanzo somehow, until he noticed that all the chairs were taken. Mentally sighing, he turned his attention to Winston.

“So, has everyone got the plan?” Winston asked, scanning the room to make sure everyone was in agreement. The mission was a simple one, but one that could go wrong. They were being employed to break up a group of gang members who were trafficking humans and robots alike. The robots were to be reprogrammed into war machines for the highest bidder, and the humans were to be for people’s pleasure. What they were all employed to do was to take out everyone as fast as possible. Lucio was to stay a safe distance away and offer healing if need be, while everyone else was to try sneaking inside covertly get inside. Hanzo was to stay posted outside of the building and take out anyone who tried to escape once Genji, McCree and Lena were inside. While inside the building, the three were to stealthily take out as many operatives as possible. Once they felt they had taken out enough, they were to call in Lucio and Hanzo to help finish the rest of the job. Everyone at the table nodded and grinned, eager to get out and do some actual work. All except for Hanzo, McCree noted, who made no indication of being eager to get out and do work. McCree guessed it was because the poor guy wasn’t capable of expressing emotion. It didn’t matter to him in the end though. After all, he was more excited about getting out than having to worry about why the Japanese man looked so stony faced all the time. He would have time to do that after he returned anyway. 

As everyone settled into the helicarrier, McCree decided to leave Hanzo alone for the duration of the ride, seeing as he looked like he’d rip the head off of anyone who stepped near him. Instead, McCree decided to talk to Lucio about how he could help on a stealth mission if his gear was loud dubstep. As the cowboy walked towards him, he smiled as he heard the gentle tink of his spurs as he moved. Seating himself next to the DJ, he allowed himself a few moments of silence before breaking it.

“Hey there Lucio, how ya doin?” he asked, letting himself relax on the helicarrier bench.

“I’m doing great! And how about you?” Lucio replied, turning his attention to the American beside him.

“I’m doin' good. Was just curious as to how you’d be helpin’ us on the mission. I mean no offence of course, as I know you’re good on the field, but ya seem a bit loud to be on a stealth mission. After all,” Jesse said, pausing to point at Lucio’s gun, which was almost like a megaphone. “You're entirely based with sound.” The Brazilian man paused and looked at his weapon of choice and then laughed.

“I guess you’d be right to think I wouldn't be entirely helpful. But I do have first aid training thanks to Mercy, and add to that the fact that my gun’s been modified. It now emits an ultrasonic beam to relay music, rather than using sound waves. So, in a way, I can just point this gun at you and only you’ll be able to hear it.” McCree was impressed.

“Sounds good then. Was just curious more than anythin’.” With that, McCree tipped his hat and got up to wander around. After all, he had some pre-mission jitters to get rid of. The ride itself was smooth, and as they landed, everyone inside got up and stretched, getting ready for their jobs. Winston came from the cockpit and addressed everyone.

“Does everyone have their comlinks on? I’ll be heading the mission from in here, so this will be the rendezvous point. I expect this to be over within one and a half hours. The estimated amount of people in the building at current is 100. I expect the job to be done as professionally as possible.” With that, the hanger doors opened and Winston went back to the cockpit to oversee the mission to make sure nothing went wrong. It was game time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or so you hoped lmao.  
> Actual fighting stuff and small reveals will happen in the next chapter i promise i s2g  
> Again, huge thanks 2 my editor Raevalentine. 
> 
> Drop me a line at apheliavampire.tumblr.com.
> 
> Rae here! Everything's been spit polished until this thing shines. Got it all broken up into more manageable chunks for easier reading. I also do the tumblr thing, but really it's just a huge ygo/Overwatch/meme fest. If you're into that, drop me a line here @ doughnutdarling.tumblr.com !!


	4. In silence, curiosity. In the calm, mystery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission to be performed in absolute secrecy. And more mystery surrounding the Shimada boys.

When the hanger doors opened, all of the crew members were greeted with the smell of the sea. It was salty but had a slight hint of Rosa Rugosa. When the doors opened, the first thing they noticed was all of the packing containers. The second thing they noticed was that it was night time.

“So, we are in Russia, hmm?” Hanzo said, readying his bow as he stepped forward.

“How can you tell?” McCree asked, knowing full well that Winston had told none of the crew members exactly where they were going. Hanzo raised an eyebrow.

“Can’t you tell? The smell of Rosa rugosa is in the air. It’s native only to Russia, Japan, Korea and China. Paired with the fact that it’s cold, and that if you look to your right, in the distance you can see the Russian flag flying, it’s easy to come to that conclusion.” Jesse squinted in the direction that Hanzo had gestured towards, but didn’t see anything that resembled a flag, especially not in the dead of night. It made McCree slightly awestruck with how good Hanzo was. Which was why he was one of their best snipers, and was suited to work in the shadows. If he could see a flag in the distance, and tell the difference between a rug rose and a normal rose, it made McCree feel glad he was working for them instead of the enemy. As everyone got off the airship, a few members did some preliminary stretches, McCree included.

“I’ll scout ahead.” Hanzo said, slinging his bow onto his back before taking off at a decent pace. Not too fast so as to expend a lot of energy, but not too slow as to not be of use.

“Luv, can we ‘ave a word?” Lena said, gently tapping McCree on the back.

“Sure,” the cowboy said as he shrugged, turning it into a back roll to loosen himself up.

“Well, I just wanted to make sure we all got in sync for this before we started so we could do our best! Don’t want something going wrong during our attack because someone was off.” McCree got the oddest feeling that the comment was aimed at him personally.

“It would be,” he replied rolling his shoulder as he did. “But I think we’ll be fine. After all, once we start, I’m sure everyone will be focused on the goal.” Lena smiled before stretching down to touch her toes, then springing back up again. “Good to know, luv. Good to know.”

Once they had radio confirmation that the path to the warehouse was clear, Genji, Lena and McCree all began to head that way, moving as quietly as possible. Tracer ran up ahead as usual, making sure it was still clear. It was eerily easy to get to the warehouse, and it seemed like there were less guards than there should have been. No one patrolling between the large shipping containers to ensure no one came to interfere, seemingly no security cameras... Nothing. It made everyone feel on edge.

“Maybe they’re all just inside doing... whatever it is bad guys do inside warehouses by the ocean.” Lena said, giving an uneasy smile.

“Or perhaps they knew we were coming.” Genji said, seeming calm. McCree frowned. It seemed the most likely option, but the real question was how could they have known. Overwatch’s security was of the highest quality, built by Winston and Torbjorn. It ran on a completely closed network, no access to the outside was allowed. A leak seemed possible, but it made McCree sick to his stomach. The idea of someone they all knew turning on them and sharing sensitive details about missions gave him flashbacks to his time in the deadlock gang.

“Well, now’s not the time to dwell on it. We have a mission to complete, so let’s get going.”

As they moved closer to the warehouse, they began to take instructions from Hanzo as to where they went. The guard patrol picked up the closer they got to the warehouse, meaning Hanzo’s keen eye and good vantage point came in useful for dispatching guards in a discreet way. They followed his instructions to an unused service entrance into the building, letting them in easily. Despite how everyone felt uneasy around him, they knew that during a mission was not the time to distrust him. After all, in combat he had never shown them a time when he meant for them to get hurt, and had in fact been shown to save them from certain danger. It still never truly changed how they felt about him off the battlefield, but on it they knew they could trust his direction. Everyone knew that one misstep, one misjudgment from the Japanese man would be the end of that fragile trust. Until that day, they put faith into his guidance on the battlefield. Which, as usual, turned out to be helpful. As the trio entered inside, they found themselves down a dimly lit corridor. Lights flickered as they made their way down further, making sure to be aware of their surroundings. Their footsteps echoed, albeit softly throughout the hall, putting them all on edge. They knew they would relax once they were in a space with more cover, but until then the tension was palpable, like molasses in the air. But instead of being sickly sweet it was a bitter taste, ashes that stuck to the roof of their mouths as they progressed.

It wasn’t too long before they found themselves in a room filled with crates, stacked neatly onto rows and rows of shelves. The smell of salt was stronger inside than it was out, almost like it had embedded itself into the wood and metal of everything it touched, refusing to leave. Without a word, the three dispersed themselves to begin their objective. Dispatch all the gang members cleanly and quietly, and leave as soon as possible. McCree looked down at his silenced revolver. It pained him to have to keep his gun silent for once, but he knew it was only temporary. After all, once they were finished, his Peacekeeper would be free from its restraints.

The cowboy moved along silently, picking off anyone he could and hiding their bodies in and around the crates around the building. It was imperative that no one was alerted to their presence, so it made sense to make sure not to leave much evidence. McCree was thankful that the floor was already quite bloody and dark, so that no one would notice new stains joining the old. The com link was silent, save for the occasional crackle as he moved around. It was both reassuring and terrifying at the same time. After all, it was the same as going in the dark. Jesse was thankful for the occasional crackle, as it let him know that the lines were still on and working,the only peace he could find while moving along quietly.

After half an hour passed, McCree bumped into Genji. Without a sound, he waved, watching Genji wave back and pause mid way, his body seeming to tense despite being made out of metal. Creeping closer, he gestured as if to ask what was wrong. All Genji could do was put a finger over where his mouth would have been, and then gestured to outside. McCree was confused, and rightfully so, until Genji made another gesture. ‘Don’t go outside’ the American noticed, giving Genji a long stare before nodding. Outside was off limits, of course he knew that. But it didn’t make sense for Genji to be tense about that. McCree wouldn’t leave the building before the job was done, and the cyborg knew that. Shrugging, he continued on his way, making a count of all the people he had killed in his head.

Eventually, with a whisper, he contacted everyone on his com link. “I killed about 37. What about you Lena?” There was a pause on the line before McCree heard a reply.

“34 on my end, luv.” she whispered back, being careful not to make noise.

“And I took care of 39. We should be able to move more freely if the estimate of 100 was correct.” Genji replied, his voice becoming slightly louder through the earpiece.

“Hehe, looks like we forgot to leave some for Hanzo and Lucio. They must have had a borin’ night tonight. Better than bein’ cooped up, I guess.”

After one last search returned nothing, the three went outside to be greeted by the site of 5 men dead, with arrows in their back. “Guess your night wasn’t so borin’ after all, eh Hanzo?” Mcree said, tipping his hat back slightly as he cast his eyes to the man standing on top of a crane. In a flash, Hanzo was down on the ground, close to them, but not so close as to cause discomfort.

“I suppose not, but this mission was not about having fun...” He let his words trail off, his eyes moving from McCree to Genji. For a split second, the two Shimada brothers locked eyes, before Hanzo averted his gaze and chose to turn his back.

“We should be heading back,” Genji finally said, breaking the silence. “Winston will want to know how it went.” The American looked between the two and squinted slightly as he tipped his hat back down. Something was going on, and he intended to find out. The first step was to become Hanzo’s friend.

Back at the helicarrier, Lucio examined everyone while WInston went over a post mission report. “It seems you dispatched everyone in there quickly and efficiently,and the 40 men outside were a surprise, but good job to whomever took care of them as well.”

Lena, Genji, and McCree all looked at each other, confused as to which one of them had gone outside and killed 40 more men, and more importantly why they hadn’t mentioned it in their debriefing before they headed back. After all, 70 people in one night would've been impressive. More so than 30 something, at least. When Jesse turned his gaze to Hanzo, he noticed something odd. The man seemed tired. More so than a person who stood on a crane and fired 5 arrows should have been. McCree wondered if it had anything to do with the oddity between him and Genji, but decided to just leave it to remember for later. After all, he had all the time in the world to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second time I've posted two chapters in one day what the heckie is going on
> 
> It means we got this shit on lockdown, that's what.


	5. Swordplay for the soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paperwork and working out. More questions asked than answered.  
> Someone get McCree a nice tall glass of water, because this boy is Thirsty.

Once everyone returned to their current safe house, they were all looked over by Doctor Ziegler, making sure none of them were seriously injured. She wanted to double check on the work that Lucio had done, ensuring that her prodigy hadn’t missed anything crucial.

“I need to see you in my clinic now, Mr. Shimada.” Angela paused for a moment, before turning her gaze to Hanzo, voice filled with authority. “I of course, mean you.” Without another word, she turned around and left, Hanzo in tow.

“Wonder what that was about.” McCree said, yawning slightly. “But, that’s a question for tomorrow.” It had been a big day for everyone, so everyone shuffled off to bed, wanting to get some well deserved shut eye. 

The next day, once everyone was awake, they were called to a meeting with Winston to debrief their mission. As per usual, Hanzo was the last to show, this time wearing a white tank top with the words peanut butter emblazoned on the front. McCree could see Hanzo’s dragon tattoos peek through the large armholes on the side of the shirt, allowing McCree to enjoy the sights..He wore loose fitting sweat pants, tied off mid-calf, letting his artificial limbs take center stage. To top it all off, Hanzo’s hair was up in a bun. The cowboy had to admit it was a good look on the Japanese man. McCree looked down at his own attire, realizing he wore the same thing he wore last night, only without his poncho or hat. As Hanzo sat next to him, he was glad that no-one else was sitting there, appreciating the fact that he could be close enough to Hanzo to feel his body heat, to smell him. It surprised him to get a sniff of what smelt like ozone. It made him think briefly of lightning, of rainy days spent outside on the ranch before he was picked out by the deadlock gang for his sharp shooting skills. Rolling his shoulders, McCree pulled at his red plaid shirt and sniffed it. It still smelt passable, so he let the fact that he wore it last night slide. When Winston cleared his throat, everyone turned their attention to him.

“Good work last night, everyone. In total, approximately 135 gang members were killed, and the Russian government thanks us.” McCree cast a glance at Hanzo, who was smiling slightly. ‘Of course he was damn right.’ McCree thought as he remembered Hanzo’s guess work at their secret location.

“As it stands, Genji took out the most with 39. Good job. Did anything seem off during the mission?” When everyone shook their heads, Winston continued. “Well then, since all the other details were mentioned last night, I’ll just need everyone to hand in a report of last night’s events and then you’re free to do whatever you want to until the next mission. Whenever that is..” Winston muttered the last sentence under his breath as he lumbered out of the room. After the meeting, Hanzo left the room quickly, leaving McCree with Lucio, Lena, and Genji.

“Did ya’ do the report yet?” the cowboy drawled, kicking his feet onto the small table in front of him. Genji nodded while the other two looked around nervously.

“After my time with Zenyatta, I learned the importance of doing what I could do as soon as possible.” McCree envied how calm Genji seemed. “Besides, as someone who is incapable of sleeping, I had ample time to complete it. Now if you will excuse me, there is a game of checkers waiting for me in the common room.” With that, Genji got up and left the room, leaving everyone else to hurriedly finish their reports for Winston. McCree especially sped himself up so he could go investigate what Hanzo was up to.

One very tiring and rushed hour later, McCree had a field report on the operation the team had performed last night, leaving him free to do whatever he wished. That wish was of course finding Hanzo and questioning him about last night. There were things that he felt didn’t quite add up. How tired Hanzo was. Why Angela seemed so concerned about what just seemed to be a case of not having enough sleep, and why he never noticed 30 people dead outside on the other side of the building.. As those questions swirled in his head, he walked into the training room, only to find Hanzo there, katana in hand and in ear headphones on, artfully dancing his way around the room. McCree stood there, mouth wide open as the Japanese man gracefully dodged and chopped at the test robots who were, to their credit, trying their hardest to land a hit on him.

McCree remembered Genji mentioning that the two were trained in various schools of martial art, but it wasn’t until he was face to face with what he could only think to describe as a graceful dance between Hanzo and the enemy right in front of him that he fully realized what that meant. Hanzo made destroying robots with a sword look as effortless as breathing. McCree of course knew deep down that his brother made it look even better, but he felt like a clueless man looking at art. To him, it was amazing, but he wasn’t able to understand any flaws in it, nor deconstruct how it was made. As he watched, it occurred to Jesse why Hanzo had shown up to their meeting in such relaxed clothing. The clothing gave him free range of motion, and as an added bonus, showed off Hanzo’s muscles in a subtle way. It took McCree a few moments to notice that the carnage of robots had stopped, and that Hanzo was glaring directly at him, headphones dangling down the front of his shirt. This wasn’t the first time McCree had interrupted Hanzo’s training and the cowboy reckoned it wouldn’t be his last.

“What are you doing here, McCree? Did you come to train, or just to watch?” The Japanese man’s tone was matter of fact, leaving no room for any other interpretation.

“Now, now, darlin’. I just wanted to ask you some questions about last night.” The cowboy sauntered further into the room, closing some of the distance between the two. “It's just, I was curious as to why you were so tired. You didn’t alert us to a sign of a struggle, and surely snipin’ some dudes on top of a high place isn’t that tiring.” McCree stepped further in, getting close enough to Hanzo to see the slight twitch of his eyebrow, smell the sweat of his body. Yet there was still distance to close.

“And how come, while you were up on that crane, you never saw who killed 30 or so guys. After all, from your point of view, you would have been able to see them clearly.” Another step closer, forcing Hanzo to step back. He went to open his mouth but was promptly quietened by McCree again. “Last but not least, why was Dr. Ziegler so concerned with what could be pinned down to lack of a good night’s sleep?” Jesse stepped forward once more, trying to force Hanzo to provide an answer to any of his questions. He was curious, and needed to know. Briefly, Hanzo seemed to be considering what to say, but the answer he provided wasn’t what McCree wanted to know.

“I did not see the 30 men as I had to climb back down to hit the 5 targets who were approaching the building. I wanted to make sure my kills were quick and efficient so they would not alert others if there were any reserves. By the time I had started to climb back up again, everyone was heading outside, and the mission was over.” Hanzo stared McCree dead in the eye, his face unreadable. Something about his story felt wrong to the cowboy, but he didn’t have any evidence to back up his gut feeling.

“I’ll take your word for it for now, but mark my words. I’ll find out one way or another.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was more of a filler chapter than anything. Plus I was listening to some good music that made me want to write Hanzo dancing with a sword so...  
> From here on out chapters will be uploaded randomly, that is to say, these aren't on schedules. 
> 
> Also, huge thanks to everyone who has read this fic so far! This is the biggest work I've done since I started writing for fun, and it's making me inspired to keep writing. And of course an even bigger thanks to those who left kudos and bookmarks on this fic!  
> On top of that, huge huge HUGE thanks to my beta/editor, Rae Valentine. 
> 
> As always, drop me a line at apheliavampire.tumblr.com  
> Or drop me a line @ doughnutdarling.tumblr.com
> 
> Time to figure out wtf chapter 6 is going to be about fml


	6. Marmalade covered moriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Late night talks, bonds mended, and early morning forgiveness.  
> Jesse McCree is still thirsty af.

After the mission, life at the Overwatch headquarters seemed to go back to normal. Or whatever passed for normal in those halls. At least, it seemed that way, if not for the minor fact of Genji talking to his brother more. McCree didn’t believe it the first time he saw Genji willingly approach Hanzo without there being a mission for them to do. He wasn’t the only person surprised by it either. The first time Genji approached Hanzo, he was astonished that his brother would approach him after what he had done. But, after a few times, Hanzo began to show emotion towards Genji. At first it was just the ghost of a smile, to eventually becoming full, welcoming grins as his brother came to talk to him. It seemed he had missed talking with him, having inadvertently grown accustomed to the loneliness and isolation destroying his brother’s body had put him in. Genji said that he had already forgiven Hanzo for what he had done, but it always seemed as if Hanzo himself still couldn’t move on from it. McCree was all too aware of how that felt, having been in a similar situation. Hanzo needed to find self redemption before he could accept his brother’s forgiveness. 

After a couple of months, everyone found themselves surprised to see Hanzo sitting in the common room with Genji, playing Mahjong together. No one knew what happened, or how the two had gotten back on to friendly terms, but it made everyone less hesitant around the Japanese man. Soon, it seemed like everyone was able to be at ease around Hanzo, even if he never smiled for anyone but his brother. Bit by bit, people began to trust him on the battlefield, knowing he would have their back. McCree thought that meant the end of Hanzo staying by himself. After all, people didn’t push him away, and he seemed to welcome them in. Yet, somehow, McCree got the impression that Hanzo was still hesitant, still distant from everyone. He didn’t exactly know why he felt the way he did, but Jesse could only put it down to a gut feeling.

“Maybe it’s the secret Hanzo has”, McCree thought one night as he got ready for bed. “After all, he’s awfully distant.” he mused as he slid off his boots. Before he could get further in his routine however, he heard a rustle in the tree outside his window. “Either that’s a critter, or Hanzo. And I have a feelin’ it ain’t a critter there.” Sure enough, as he opened the worn blinds on his window, he saw Hanzo, staring contemplatively at the moon, standing on a branch that seemed to easily support his weight.. The window clicked almost silently as it opened up, letting a cool night breeze into his room.

“Nice night to be starin’ at the moon, huh Hanzo.” To Hanzo’s credit, he didn’t jump out of surprise, instead turning his head to face McCree.

“I suppose it is.” he said after a moment, turning his attention back to the night sky.

“Any reason you’re up there then? If ya wanna stargaze, the roof is probably just as good.” Jesse leaned casually on the window sill, watching as Hanzo’s hair tie fluttered carelessly with the night air. After a brief pause, Hanzo replied.

“I... prefer it here. I can be closer to nature.” Hanzo looked down at his legs for a moment, before sighing. “Or at least, as close to nature as I can be.” McCree felt a pang of understanding at Hanzo’s words. It had taken him months for him to get used to his prosthetic arm, and even longer to forget his original one. Even now, years later, he still felt phantom twitches of his old arm, causing him to stay awake at night. At times, it still felt like an alien extension of himself, a part not his own. So, McCree was sympathetic to his plight.

“Well, for you to be in a tree, somethin’ must be botherin’ you. So what is it?” Jesse noticed how Hanzo’s back seemed to tense for a moment, like his inner turmoil was bubbling over into the physical realm. Then, they sagged as Hanzo let out a breath.

“People. People are bothering me, McCree.” Jesse didn’t expect that kind of answer.

“Well, if they’re botherin’ you so much, why not come in and talk about it? I’m sure if they’re doin’ somethin’ that makes you uncomfortable, they’ll be polite enough to stop.” That made Hanzo turn around, a quizzical expression on his face.

“So, Mr. McCree. If I asked you to stop, would you stop pestering me during practise? Or when I wanted to quietly admire the night sky?” Hanzo had him on that one.

“If it was truly botherin’ you that much, I would be a gentleman and back off.” McCree didn’t want to of course. He wanted to know more about the enigma that was Hanzo Shimada. The air felt tense for a moment, McCree waiting for a reply, for anything from the man.

“Move aside.” Hanzo said, grabbing onto the tree trunk to his right. That wasn’t what McCree was prepared for, but he did as instructed, moving away from the window sill and into his room. Before he could turn around to ask why Hanzo wanted him to move away, he heard the soft sound of something scratching at the wooden boards that covered the house, before Hanzo’s head popped over the window. He lifted himself gracefully in, not looking like he had just jumped from a tree into someone’s room, but more as if he had just gotten in from the ground floor. It was in that moment that McCree felt in awe of him, even if it was brief. That feeling was quickly replaced with mild panic, and a feeling of not belonging. In amongst all of McCree’s cowboy items, Hanzo seemed to stick out, even having an air of not being from the same time. 

“Well, uh, now that you’re here partner, what did you wanna talk about?” McCree asked, sitting himself down on his bed, suddenly all too aware of how dimly lit his room was. With only a small table lamp and the light of the crescent moon to illuminate the room, it felt too dark, too cozy. Too close. “At least, I’m assumin’ you wanna talk.” Jesse noticed Hanzo looking over the room, like a cat might look at a new person. He was inquisitive, while still remaining aloof. After a few seconds, Hanzo seemed to have made a decision, sitting himself down neatly on the window ledge, leaning himself casually on the side.

“I hope what I say here will not reach the ears of the others. Let me correct myself. What is said here must not reach the ears of others. Have I made myself clear, Jesse?” McCree shivered, a chill running down his spine at the use of his first name. Somehow Hanzo made it sound threatening, like it would be the last time his name would be spoken if he disobeyed.

“Hanzo, I give you my word as a cowboy that what is said here will not leave this room through my lips.” He left himself a little wriggle room in case his place was bugged, which he didn’t think to put past Winston. Hanzo sighed, before looking McCree dead in the eye.

“I suppose that will have to suffice.” The Japanese man’s normally harsh facial expression washed away, leaving what McCree could only describe as melancholy. “I have... A secret. I suppose we all do in this organization,and while I choose not to disclose that secret to you tonight, I do feel that, should it get out, this friendship I’ve built with everyone will shatter. Like... Moriage. However, once it’s broken it can not be fixed again.”

McCree was taken aback. Hanzo wasn’t annoyed by the friendships he had made, but scared of loosing them. It seemed so unlike the person he had gotten to know, it almost felt strange. “Hanzo... I don’t think people will abandon you for some secret. I mean, you’re right. Everyone in Overwatch has a secret. But unless you’re a secret Talon agent, I don’t think we’d have any reason not to continue being friends.” The Japanese man smiled, briefly, but it soon faded.

“Your words are kind, McCree. However, I have told people in the past about this, and they have fled. Running as far away from me as possible, and I cannot blame them for that. Were I in the same position, I cannot say that I would have stayed.” Hanzo turned his gaze outwards, up to the crescent moon that shone down brightly. “There have been only a handful of people who have not run, and they have of course all been family members.” McCree listened on, too afraid to breathe in case Hanzo stopped. But, the spell was broken when the Japanese man let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t even know why I am telling you this. It will come out one day, and you’ll be just as scared. But I suppose I’m telling you this because I too, am scared. Of loss, of myself.” McCree was at a loss himself. He didn’t know what to do when Hanzo put his hands on his head, resting his elbows on the leg now resting on the window sill, maintaining his balance with the other.

“I won’t Hanzo. Whatever your secret is, I won’t run,and I’ll damn well make sure others aren’t scared of you either.” Jesse felt protective of Hanzo, who was afraid of losing what he had already lost so many times before. Hanzo slid his hands off his face, looking at McCree as he spoke.

“I... appreciate it, McCree.” Hanzo smiled before turning his attention back outside. “I might take you up on that one day. For now, I will leave you be. And... Thank you for listening.” Before McCree could get a word out, Hanzo had rolled out of the window, holding onto the ledge before pushing himself onto a lower hanging branch. 

The next day, McCree found himself at a loss of words. It was early in the morning, too early McCree thought, when he heard a knock on his door. His alarm confirmed how early it was, telling him it was 6:03am. Groaning, he rolled himself out of bed, not bothering to attach his prosthetic arm on just yet, not wanting to go through the hassle of it while he was still half asleep. Opening the door, he found Hanzo standing there, his hair loose instead of in his almost signature pony tail, wearing a tight white shirt that left nothing to the imagination.Realizing he was staring, McCree went to clear his throat only to let out a yawn.

“Uh, mornin’ Hanzo. Bit early to be out. Or up.” As he went to rub sleep out of his eye, he realized he was trying to do it with his prosthetic arm, which wasn’t attached to his body yet. Stopping himself, he used his organic hand to rub his eyes.

“I thought that perhaps we could eat breakfast together.” Hanzo stated, watching McCree with mild curiosity.

“Well, that sounds like a nice date and all, but it’s 6am,and I’m still half asleep.” The look on Hanzo’s face was a mix between disappointment, and disgust.

“It would be a breakfast between friends, McCree. And 6am is a reasonable time.” Jesse sighed, rolling his shoulders back.

“Well alright then, I guess I’m already up. Lemme just get my arm on.” He looked down, realizing he was only in his boxers. “And I guess clothin’ as well.”

Twelve minutes later, McCree was dressed and ready to go. Hanzo had gone ahead to what everyone lovingly referred to as “the closest thing to a kitchen” but was really just a small kitchenette with two toaster ovens instead of an actual oven. It made for interesting dinner time meals, with everyone cooking in rotations. When McCree arrived, Hanzo was leaning nonchalantly on the counter, waiting for the electric kettle to boil, two cups already set out.

“I hope one of those is a coffee for me.” McCree lazily drawled as he walked in, ruffling his own hair slightly.

“It is. I did not know how you preferred it, so I did not put anything else in yet.”

Jesse smiled lazily, moving over to the large table that took up the main space of the kitchen area.

“One sugar, a splash of milk. I figure you’ve got everythin’ under control there, so I’ll leave you to it.” Hanzo nodded, adding sugar to the cup, waiting for the click of the kettle when it was done. Pouring hot water into the cups, he put a splash of milk into McCree’s cup as instructed, and brought it over to him.

“Since we do not have the proper equipment for things like eggs or anything made in a pan, I am making us toast.”

Hanzo seemed mildly irritated he couldn’t make proper breakfast foods, but had to make do with what was available. McCree didn’t want to tell Hanzo that there were foods you could make with a toaster oven, knowing full well he’d have to get up and do it himself if he did, so he instead chose to just enjoy toast. A few moments later, Hanzo brought over 2 plates with about 6 pieces of toast on them each.

“What would you like on your toast, McCree?” Hanzo asked, going to the cupboards where all their food was stored and shared. No one except Winston got the privilege to hoard food to themselves.

“Marmalade will do, darlin’.” Jesse said sweetly, taking a sip from his cup, enjoying the mild burnt taste to it. Moments later, a jar and knife were plonked in front of him, Hanzo sitting in the seat near him a few seconds after, margarine in hand, knife in the other. The two sat in silence for a while, eating and drinking, just content to have someone to share the early morning with. 

“So, why did you invite me to breakfast Hanzo?” McCree asked, finally breaking the silence. It was uncharacteristic for Hanzo to reach out to people, and to do so twice in less than 12 hours seemed mildly strange to McCree. Hanzo looked up from his cup, steam gently swirling from it.

“I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night. I lacked restraint, and will try not to be so foolish again.”

Jesse felt like a dog on a leash being tugged every which way. First Hanzo was cold, then he was vulnerable, and then he went right back to being cold.

“You don’t need to apologize for that. I thought it was nice knowin’ you’re a person. After all, you’ve been distant from everyone the moment you got here. But now I know there’s a reason for that.” McCree felt the warmth of the rising sun warm up the kitchen, filling the room up with soft golden light. In the background, the sounds of others waking up reached their ears. “You don’t need to be so restrained ‘round us, Hanzo.” As Hanzo went to reply, Genji walked in, a faint green glow coming from his body, which wasn’t unusual.

“Ah, Hanzo, there you are. Some of the members of Overwatch wish to see a battle between two master swordsman. You are the only one here who I feel would be a match.” The Japanese male put down his tea, giving Genji a long hard look.

“I have not kept fully in practise with my swordsmanship since the incident.” Hanzo turned his gaze downwards, his cup suddenly more interesting than anything else in the room. McCree however, was more interested in a fight between Genji and Hanzo, to see how his skills held up against someone who used a sword in everyday combat.

“Nonsense Hanzo. I’ve seen you practicin’ with a sword, and you looked pretty darn good if I do say so myself.” Hanzo shot a death glare at McCree before turning his attention back to his brother.

“However, I _guess_ a friendly competition between us would be sufficient practise enough.”

After everyone else had enjoyed breakfast, they piled into the training room to watch a match between the two. Everyone was aware of Genji’s skill with a sword, but not of Hanzo’s. Doctor Ziegler handed them two kendo swords.

“I don’t want people getting hurt over practice, because then I get to deal with it.” Despite what Angela said, she found herself hanging around at the back, interested to see the results of the fight. The two men practised a few swings with their swords, getting accustomed to the weight and feel of them. As soon as the two felt comfortable enough, they nodded at McCree, who was the judge of the whole match.

“Alright, when I say go, the... Practise session? Can begin.” McCree stepped out of the way, looking between the two, his arm raised in the air to signal the match to start.

“Three.... Two... One... Go!”

When his arm dropped, the two bowed, before circling the mat, waiting to see who would strike first. The first move was made by Genji, testing to see his brother’s skill. Hanzo managed to easily deflect the strike, following back with a slash of his own. Genji blocked it easily, causing the two to become in a deadlock, each trying to push the other away. The younger Shimada brother succeeded, pushing Hanzo back a few steps and going in for another hit, landing it on his cheek before he could react and stop it. The hit left an angry red mark on Hanzo’s face, but to his credit, he didn’t seem too bothered by it. The two stepped away, and bowed again, ready for the next match.

“Uh, Hanzo. Are you alright?” When Hanzo nodded, McCree shrugged, and counted them back into another match.

The second match was similar to the first, except where Hanzo had his cheek hit, Genji had his throat tapped by the end of the Kendo sword. Genji, being a robot, didn’t feel it, but the hit was seen by McCree and everyone else, leading to the second match being counted in Hanzo’s favour. As the third match approached, everyone waited with baited breath. It had felt like the two were just testing each other out. But, the air changed as they took their stances for the deciding round. A bruise was already blossoming on Hanzo’s cheek as he steadied himself opposite his brother.

As McCree called out go, the two went straight for each other, not waiting to test the waters. They were both aware of what the other was like, and so it was a matter of being first out of the gate. The two clashed in the middle of the training room, swords clacking together. To everyone else, it almost seemed like they were dancing, their movements nearly in sync as they twirled and dodged each other’s blows, each swing of their sword a calculated movement. It seemed like it would go on forever, until one well timed swing from Genji to Hanzo’s back sent the Japanese man sprawling.

“And that is a match! Genji wins!” The room erupted into cheers, McCree helping Hanzo up from his undignified placement on the floor. When he was up, Hanzo looked at Genji for a moment before shaking hands with him, before pulling him into a hug. Soon, everyone was surrounding the two, the moment feeling picturesque. It felt like nothing could ruin it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, this chapter took me a while to get out, mainly because my rl job and then life kicked my ass.  
> A note for this chapter! Moriage is a type of Japanese pottery, with the most notable of the Moriage lineup being called dragonware. I thought it'd be a fun little pun to include. Moriage is actually really pretty too, but probably very impractical to eat off.  
> As well as that, this chapter is by far the longest I've written. Somehow....  
> There is no estimated time for the next chapter, but if you have any questions about the next update, feel free to drop me a line at apheliavampire.tumblr.com


	7. Claws bared dangerously

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rumblings of a battle happen across the sea.  
> The Reaper doth come, he cometh for thee.  
> Slowly, and without mercy.

Across the sea from the safehouse of Overwatch, tucked away in a small, unassuming township, Talon trained. In almost military conditions, swarms of people cloaked in black honed their skills to take on not only Overwatch, but the world. From the shadows, Gabriel Reyes watched on as his army became better each day. 

Pulling back his cloak as he sat in a chair in his office, he brushed the mask on his face off with ease, making it disappear into a thick black smoke. Reyes’s face was almost unrecognizable, deep scars running along his entire face, his skin seeming to almost shift like he was barely keeping himself together. Reaper forced himself to relax, feeling almost giddy that the culmination of his plans were coming to fruition. Through some luck, he had acquired the location of Overwatch’s hideout, and knew a lot about some of their members and how to take them down easily. Reaper felt some sorrow that his enemy, Jack wasn’t with Overwatch anymore, and that his ex pupil, Jesse McCree was, but squashed it down as quickly as it came up. He would die like the rest of them, begging for mercy and receiving none.

Before he could allow himself to dwell for too long on Overwatch’s eminent demise, Amélie walked in, not allowing him enough time to put his mask back up. Not that it mattered around her, as she was the only person he felt he could confide in.

“Reyes,” she said, speaking in a thick French accent . “Our men are almost ready for an assault on their headquarters. Just say the word, and they will be ready to attack.”

Reyes smiled, leaning forward in his chair, letting his elbows rest on the table in front of him.

“Good,” he said, devilish grin slashing a path across his scarred face. “We leave in a week's time. Prepare them all for then.”

Amélie nodded, and left without another word, not one to stick around for idle chat. Leaning back in his chair, he grazed his fingers over a file that lay on his desk, tossed carelessly aside. Now that he had time to himself to look over it again, he picked it up gently, like one might a precious piece of china or a child. Gently, and with the utmost care. 

Flipping through the pages, he smiled with delight at seeing the hideout where Overwatch was holed up, the black and white photos showing him members out and about. He could see the house in which they lived in, surrounded by a large open field. Reaper noted the large tree to one side of the house, marking it as a potential entry into their enemy's lair. The house itself seemed picturesque, though the black and white photos told him nothing of the color. Was it vibrant? Toned down? His intel was ironclad with the important details however, meaning he didn’t have to worry about going to the wrong place. As well as that, he had made sure Overwatch would have no reason to leave their base, having instructed an elite team of soldiers to play the good guys for a while, helping those in need.

Everything was falling into place, and soon he would have his revenge on those who stood in his way. A week could hardly go by fast enough. In that time though, he would train his men harder, to make sure they wouldn't be overwhelmed in battle. As confident as Reyes was that his army would win, he didn't want to become complacent, and knew that preparing for anything was the best course of action when it came to his former comrades. 

Rather than waste his time pushing himself up from his seat, Gabriel simply turned into mist, reforming near the door with his mask snugly back on his face where it belonged. Exiting his makeshift office, he stood a few floors above the training room, watching as his subordinates prepared for the upcoming battle, all burning with a desire for bloodshed. Everyone was eager to get a slice of Overwatch, though slightly disappointed that they were nowhere near their former glory, meaning the kill wouldn't have as much meaning, as much impact as if they had taken them down at the height of their glory days. Reaper could hear the sound of fists against punching bags, the sound of grunts and shots from guns being fired in the gun range. It made him happy. It was the sound of destruction. The sound of loyalty to him and his organisation of which he had raised from the ground up. And in one week's time, his army would burn the last of his old life to the ground.

Becoming mist again, Gabriel jumped from the top floor down to the bottom, reforming next to a cadet who didn’t flinch, continuing to fire his gun at a target, landing a shot directly in the head of the dummy.

“Keep it up.” he said, watching the soldier straighten up slightly and land another round in the exact same place.

Walking away, he watched as two of his soldiers fought, blocking each punch, deflecting each kick. Gabriel was happy to see them pour their heart and soul into each hit like it was their last, acting as if the fight was a desperate claw for their own life. He knew that that kind of training was crucial in winning against Overwatch, who would not go easy on them. When they noticed Reyes, they only glanced at him, not willing to take their eyes off each other in case it gave their opponent the upper hand. Behind his mask, Gabriel smiled, nodding to the two before moving on. Knowing that his army was in the best shape to go up against the remaining remnants of Overwatch, made him feel somewhat secure. The 200 or so men and women who served under him would overwhelm and destroy the eight or so members left in his enemy's lair. Even so, he knew how much they could take out. Not that it mattered. Their coffins were sealed. Overwatch would be destroyed in one week. And Reyes couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o looky here a breakaway chapter.  
> Shit is about to go down. Of course, when that chapter comes out is a whole 'nother matter whoopsie  
> sorry its so short though. I was struggling to get it this long
> 
> I have been working a lot as of late, which is great for my wallet but not so great for my writing time. But, I will continue to try update this fic whenever possible, and make sure i actually finish it before i start writing 500 au stories for it lmao. 
> 
> Have also been toying around with the idea of once this entire fic is finished, re-writing it from Hanzo's perspective. Because at the moment its (mostly) in McCree's pov. Aside from this chapter of course.
> 
> Anyway as always, feel free to drop me a line at apheliavampire.tumblr.com. I also respond to any and every comment so feel free to comment here.


	8. The thunder of war

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After all, can eight people fend off an army?  
> Or will they be thrown to the wolves?

All of Overwatch noticed the tension in the air when they awoke in the morning, like war was on the horizon. It was an unmistakeable feeling, one that stuck around longer than it should have.Because of it, unease ran throughout the safe house that morning, with people nervously tinkering, doing anything to keep their hands and minds occupied. Their thoughts weren't helped by the almost ominous darkness outside. Thunderheads loomed on the horizon, blotting out the sun, leaving everyone wishing for the bright rays of the sun once again. McCree was the first person to speak up, breaking the fragile silence.

“What's goin’ on? Why does today feel so... weird? I feel like I'm about to jump right out of my skin today.”

Silence reigned before people started chiming in, agreeing somewhat with his sentiment, even if they didn't quite understand his words.

“It feels like war is coming,” Winston said as he tapped on his computer. “There's nothing in the security feeds though, so I don't know why we feel this way.” Leaning back in his chair, he stared intently at the clear screen.

“Perhaps war is coming, and if so, we would do best to prepare.” Hanzo said, looking up from his bow that he was carefully inspecting. Both Hanzo and Genji seemed to be the only calm ones, unfazed by the palpable tension.

“Prepare for what? A non existent war?” McCree replied back, shaking his foot, making his spurs softly clink each time.

“Yes. If it turns out it's nothing, we have peace of mind. If it turns out it's an actual war? Then we're prepared.” No-one could argue with that logic.

All of Overwatch gathered supplies such as ammo and building materials to fortify their safehouse, feeling themselves relax as they prepped for an imaginary war. Winston directed, instructing people where to go and how to arrange things. Before any of them could be fully satisfied with the results, they heard it. The sound of gunfire in the distance.

“EVERYONE, TO YOUR POSITIONS!” Winston yelled, running and grabbing his weapon, everyone else following suit

McCree watched as Hanzo grabbed his bow, running up the side of the house to get to the roof. He took a moment to remember that Hanzo’s prosthetics had a special technology to allow him to run like that, before pulling out his peace maker and heading into the half formed trenches they had made. It felt like hours passed before the first bullet whizzed past their poorly made hiding spot, but it had only been minutes. The bullet that missed was soon retaliated with a well placed arrow, taking the first kill of the day. Over the com-link, McCree heard Hanzo talking.

“From my position, there looks to be at least 200 soldiers, all heavily armed. Good thing we took the time today to fortify, although we did not have enough time to do the job well.”

Mercy put her hand to her ear, activating her microphone. “From up there, what would be the best course of action?” As she asked, she adjusted her staff, placing it awkwardly on her lap as she squatted.

“Get Winston to our security room to give better commands. With the amount of security cameras on site, we have a better advantage if we have more blind spots covered. In the meantime, Torbjörn needs to set up a turret.” Hanzo was interrupted by a few bullets flying past him, causing him to duck. “Genji, since you can deflect bullets, guard him while he builds. As for the rest, I recommend holding your positions until the enemy advances further.” Quickly jumping up, he notched an arrow and fired it off, the tip blinking as it went into the midst of the enemy. “When I know if there’s anyone we should be truly worried about in there, I will inform you all.”

With everyone in agreement over the plan Hanzo had laid out, everyone set off to work. Torbjörn and Genji went out to set up a turret, Genji keeping all of the bullets off of the shorter man. Winston ran inside to get to the security room to keep an eye on all of the cameras to ensure they had the upper hand, while Tracer and Lúcio helped get a makeshift shelter up to Hanzo, who was in a poor position to properly. snipe from. When Winston finally got to the security room, he was greeted with a terrible sight. Getting onto his com link as soon as possible, he sighed before his tone turned grave.

“We have a problem. Talon is here. With Reaper and Widowmaker.”

Tracer came to a standstill at the news, remembering the last time she had seen the sniper at the omnic gathering. McCree noticed, running up to make sure she was okay.

“Tracer, if anyone on Talon is botherin’ you, you can get ‘em this time.” That seemed to snap her out of it, nodding as she rushed off to make sure everything was ready. The army was fast approaching, each step more menacing than the last.

“Initial estimate is incorrect,” Hanzo replied, now hidden somewhat safely behind some pieces of wood. “There are approximately 250 soldiers here, all out for blood. Their movements suggest they’re all highly trained, nothing like the 100 or so people we killed a couple of months ago. We might not be so successful this time.” Everyone knew what Hanzo meant. People could die, and the odds were stacked against them. No-one had time to make peace with the fact that they were on death’s doorstep, as the large army got close enough for their shots to hit their mark. Everyone who was able ran out of the trench, brandishing their weapons, ready to defend their home.

The turret Torbjörn had built fired off round after round, taking down thirty Talon operatives. McCree, Tracer, Lúcio and Genji ran out, guns blazing as they carved out a trail of death, arrows following along in their wake cleaning up those that they missed. Everyone was aware what they had to do, trying to get as many quick kills as possible trying to push back as many of them as they could. They felled each enemy that stood in their way before the rest of the army realized what was happening, giving them crucial time to catch those unaware that the three were already in their midst.

Once they were far enough in, they split up. McCree and Tracer one way, Lúcio and Genji the other, carving more people out as they ran back to the trenches. But, their good fortune couldn’t last as they started meeting resistance, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Jumping back into the trench, they watched a well placed bullet destroy the turret they so desperately needed, then watched as a well placed arrow struck the ground, splitting into a dozen more arrows that took out a few more men.

“If you have a special attack that can take out more people, I’d advise you to use it now.” Winston said over their ear pieces. It was a desperate situation, one where they were backed into a corner. Everyone nodded, jumping back out of the trench. Lúcio cried out, slamming his amplification gun down, boosting everyone’s attack.

“It’s high noon, assholes!” McCree yelled as he allowed himself to focus, time seeming to slow down as he lined up his shots, hitting six people in the head before taking a few bullets himself. Throwing a flash bang into the group, he retreated once again back into the trench. Tracer fired off a few more shots with her pulse gun, before throwing a large pulse bomb into the enemies, racing back into the hole as it exploded, killing thirteen more agents.

“Genji, Hanzo! Help us out here!” the cowboy yelled. Before Genji could reply, McCree heard Hanzo over the radio.

“I know what I must do.” he said, removing his com link and placing his bow on the ground. McCree couldn't hear what Hanzo said to himself, but could hear the next thing he said loud and clear.

“ _Ryuu ga ware no tamashii wo kurau_!” He didn't understand what it meant, but it didn't take long for him to get the gist of it when Hanzo’s dragons burst forth from his back, curling into the sky before coming back down forcefully, merging into one as they engulfed Hanzo, leaving a dragon of flesh and blood in their wake. Its scales seemed to shimmer like a moonless midnight, the only illumination the stars. McCree watched as it darted from the roof, flying gracefully overhead, heading straight for their enemies.

McCree noted how Genji seemed to stand there for a moment watching the dragon almost wistfully, before calling forth his own dragon to join the battle. It curled playfully around the dark dragon before going ahead, pushing back some of the enemies, leaving them helpless as the tangible dragon swooped down and ended their lives. The dragon was pushing back enemies well, leaving them vulnerable. But the price he paid for it was a hail of bullets, all aimed at the dragon. All of Overwatch was left stunned, but didn’t allow themselves time to process what was happening, only time to get back out onto the field and pick off those who now lay helpless on the ground, bones shattered under the great dragon’s force.

Down the other end of the field, McCree spied Reaper becoming mist, focusing solely on the new threat on the battleground. As he watched, rain began to pour, slate grey clouds releasing a torrential downpour. It left them with a huge advantage, leaving them with time to deal with his second in command.

“Winston, get a chopper or somethin’. We’ve gotta escape as soon as possible.” With only a grunt from Winston to indicate he had heard anything, McCree went back to shooting, joining his teammates as they darted past the mysterious dragon and headed straight for Widowmaker.

Thunder rumbled dangerously close to her, but she didn’t flinch. Seeing them all come her way, she stopped firing at the large beast and aimed her sights at them, firing off a few rounds. Managing to clip Tracer in her shoulder, she still didn’t do enough to stop them from gaining on her. Realizing she was going to die if she stayed, Widowmaker turned tail and fled the battle, leaving the rest of Overwatch time to turn their attention to Reaper as he was smacked away from the dragon, who seemed to be growing weaker by the minute. Concentrating their fire on Reaper, everyone fired, causing him to flee after Widowmaker.

“We’ll be back, just watch.” More lightning struck down from above at some of the army they had left behind. They had successfully repelled the enemy forces, but it seemed to them like it was out of the frying pan and into the fire.

“Do we need to shoot.. _whatever_ that thing is? I mean, it seemed like it came from Hanzo but..” Genji put a firm hand on McCree’s shoulder.

“That is indeed my brother. Get Professor Ziegler, she needs to attend to you all.” Tracer nodded, clutching her arm and racing off to get Angela. Lúcio fiddled with his amp gun, before aiming it at McCree.

“It’s on the heal setting, don’t worry.” he said before firing it. McCree felt exhausted, all the adrenaline slowly draining from him as the heal beam worked its magic. Keeping a cautious eye on the dragon, he watched in surprise as it started to shimmer before it burst, briefly leaving sparkling lights hanging in the air before fading away.All that remained was Hanzo, who looked the same, yet different. Jesse didn’t have much time to dwell on the change however, as Doctor Ziegler arrived, caduceus staff in hand. Behind her, their chopper landed with Winston inside.

“Get everyone on board as soon as possible. We’ll be moving to a new safe house immediately. Some other operatives will be meeting us there. You have 15 minutes to gather anything you want to take with you.” While McCree was concerned for Hanzo, he had the feeling that Hanzo was, in fact, out cold. So he knew that gathering everything he needed or wanted to take was more important. After all, there was nothing he could do.

After everyone had gathered what they could and gotten into the helicarrier, they set off to their new base of operations. Everyone was silent the entire ride, licking their wounds, glad no one was gravely injured, thankful for the dragon - for _Hanzo_ \- keeping them from harm. But, unable to see him, they couldn’t be sure, McCree especially. Of course, he knew he’d know more when they got to their new home. Jesse sent off a silent prayer that it would be safer than their last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Sorry this chapter took so long to write! I had intended to write this like, 2 weeks ago but then my living room went up in flames along with my laptop, tablet and other various items. So I've kind of been dealing with that whole thing, which meant fic writing took a low priority. If anyone is concerned, I'm fine as I wasn't in the house when it happened! And I have a borrowed laptop which means I can continue to update this fic no problem.
> 
> Now for actual notes: In this chapter, Hanzo says “Ryuu ga ware no tamashii wo kurau!” which is a variation on his actual in game alt line "Ryū ga waga teki wo kurau!" (Let the dragons consume my enemies!) This translated line means "Let the dragon/s consume my soul!" The translation is thanks to my friend Nyanobyte (https://twitter.com/Nyanobyte). More will be explained on the saying change in the next chapter. Also, the type of dragon that Hanzo transformed into was of course a Lung dragon, commonly found in Japanese/Chinese folklore, and similar to the ones seen in the short "Dragons."
> 
> And of course, as always, if you have any questions, feel free to send me an ask at apheliavampire.tumblr.com!  
> Next chapter will be god knows when lmao  
> (Don't worry, I'll remind aphy to update soonish)


	9. That which is broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old friend returns, and a new one hangs by a thread.  
> McCree tries his best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recommend listening to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UOB8D_FYSg&list=PL85F93DBE5937DB92 for this chapter.

When the helicarrier landed at their new base of operations, Hanzo was carted out in a hurry, Angela yelling at everyone to move out of her way as she pushed a gurney. McCree couldn’t help but notice how small Hanzo looked, how fragile he seemed as he was rushed away. Everyone felt tense, worried for their friend. As everyone slowly walked out of the helicarrier, they were greeted with a beautiful site. A house covered in ivy, a dense forest surrounding it Along with it’s beauty, it conveyed a sense of safety. The thick forest protected them from the eye of the enemy, and the house hid a large base located underground. With nothing else to do aside from worry, the rest of the crew gathered their things and headed into the house, trying to make themselves at home. 

As McCree walked, absorbed in his thoughts, he saw a familiar sight.

“Fareeha?” he called out, picking up his pace to see her.

“McCree!” she replied, her face lighting up as she saw him. “I heard about the fight that happened at the last safe house. Are you okay?”

McCree nodded, placing down the box of things he was carrying, pulling Fareeha in for a hug. “Took a few bullets, but - and you won’t believe this - a dragon saved us. A dragon!”

Fareeha looked skeptical, stepping back to take a good look at McCree.

“You mean, Genji’s sword dragon saved you all?”The cowboy shook his head. “McCree maybe you need to see Angela. Dragons don’t exist in physical form.”

McCree sighed. “I need ya to trust me on this one. Ask anyone else who was there, a dragon saved us. Hell, he’s in the doctor’s office now.”

The woman paused for a moment, deep in thought. “That Japanese man I saw being wheeled in, that’s the dragon?” Jesse nodded again.

“His name’s Hanzo. Genji’s brother. He can turn into one of them dragons that comes out of Genji’s sword. Or at least that’s what I think happened.”

Fareeha considered it more. “I’d need to see it for myself to believe it. Just like you’ll need to see that my mother is alive.”

“Ana is alive?” McCree exclaimed, eyes widening. It had been a long time since he had last seen Ana, almost 10 years ago. “When did you find out? How did you find out?”

Fareeha tilted her head, indicating for McCree to follow along. “About two years ago she contacted me out of the blue, saying she was alive, and was working as a bounty hunter in Egypt. As you can imagine I was...”

“Upset?” McCree supplied, keeping up with her pace, his box of things rattling as he walked.

“Furious. She let her daughter grieve for her. She let _me_ grieve for her.” Her tone was matter of fact, not a hint of emotion in it.

“I’m sorry, Fareeha.” He knew it must have been hard on her to have to go through such a thing, to grieve for her mother, to not know what had happened to her. “Even if you’re angry about it, I’m still sorry ya had to go through that.”

As Fareeha opened a door to allow McCree to get through, she smiled at him appreciatively. “Thanks, McCree.” She let the door close behind her as the two walked through. “So, aside from almost dying, how have you been? I see you haven't grown out of the cowboy thing.”

McCree chuckled, pushing through a set of swinging doors into what could be considered a mess hall. Placing his box of things on the nearest table, he sat next to it, Fareeha following suit.

“Just like I told Reyes, this isn’t a phase. You obviously ain’t been out to Sante Fe. The amount of people who look like this is more than you think. That aside, how’s life for you?”

The Egyptian woman shrugged and crossed her arms. “Well, before the Overwatch recall, I was working in a security company. Got to protect people, live my dream, and now I get to live it further by actually being a member of Overwatch. I grew up in this establishment, and I want to work within it, too. My skills in my previous job allowed me that doorway.”

McCree smiled, fondly remembering the days before Overwatch disbanded, when Ana was still around. “Well, I for one can’t wait to work in the field with ya’, Fareeha.” Adjusting his serape, he leaned on the table, his smile slipping away. “One thing is though, can’t help but be worried about Talon. They found us today, and if it wasn’t for some... divine miracle, we woulda been dead.” McCree leaned on his human arm, his metallic fingers tapping on the table as he thought. “They surprised us, outnumbered us, and woulda outgunned us if they’d been quick enough. Worst of all, they found us.” His eyes flicked up from the table to Fareeha’s face. “And that means they’re more dangerous than we first thought.”

The woman across from him seemed to be surprised, always used to his light-hearted nature, not the serious-faced man who sat before her.

“We’ll make sure they don’t find us again. I have some tricks from when I used to work in security, so I’ll help Winston strengthen the defences here.” With a nod, she got up from her seat. “See you around, McCree. And... I know what you’ve just gone through is hard, but try to relax. You’re safe here.”

As she walked away, the cowboy pulled off his hat. “For now.” he muttered under his breath.

Not wanting to sit around for too long, McCree got up, picking up the box filled with a few of his belongings, leaving the mess hall to find where he’d be sleeping. It didn’t take him long to find it; a small grey room filled only with a standard issue army bed and a set of dull brown drawers. He thought back briefly, wistfully to his room back at their old base, with its warm wooden walls, and sprawling view of a large open field, only obstructed slightly by the large tree in front. Throwing the box onto his bed, he sat beside it, replaying the events of yesterday.

One moment, they had been pinned down, and the next, a dragon was there, saving them from certain death. From there, his thoughts trailed to Hanzo. He felt his heart stutter slightly as he thought about him. About how he almost lost him. He just couldn’t put his finger on why he felt so upset about it. Getting up off his bed, he took off his serape, then gingerly took off his body armor, noting the few dents and holes in it from bullets. The wounds had been tended to, but the marks still remained. Slipping on a plain black shirt, followed by his serape and hat, he left his room, closing the door behind him. McCree was too nervous to stand around idly, feeling that he could be doing something, anything to distract himself, take his mind off his wayward thoughts.

Wandering through the brightly illuminated halls, he found the sick bay, the sound of Genji’s voice floating out despite the obvious attempt to talk in hushed tones, which were quickly cut short as McCree tried to get closer to listen in, the sound of his spurs giving him away. Knowing he was caught, McCree walked over to the open doorway, giving Genji a short nod before switching his gaze over to Hanzo.

There was no mistaking it now. The dragon that yesterday had protected everyone from a hail of bullets was him. It was evident by the fact that pieces of him were different. Parts of his skin had shimmering blue scales, patches of midnight that seemed to absorb what little light hit them. His eyes were no longer the mysterious black they usually were, instead an almost electric blue. McCree was scared, but at the same time, infatuated. Whatever he’d been about to say died on the tip of his tongue. He cleared his throat and took off his hat as a sign of respect.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just wanderin’ to get my mind off things and guess I just wandered here.” He felt nervous as he waited for a response, his fingers idly turning his hat around as he stood there.

“You’re fine,” Genji replied, getting up from the seat next to the hospital bed he was sitting in. “I was just about to leave anyway. All I wanted to do was to check on my brother.” Walking past McCree, Genji placed a hand on his shoulder. “Try to let him know you’re not scared of him.” he said, before walking away, leaving just Hanzo and McCree alone together.

“Uh, so,” Jesse said as he walked over to the bed, sitting in the seat Genji just occupied. “First things first Hanzo, I just... Well, I want to thank ya for what you did back there. If you hadn’t done... Whatever it is you did, well, none of us would be here safely today.”

McCree watched as Hanzo shifted uncomfortably, subconsciously averting his gaze and vainly trying to cover the patches on his skin which showed his true nature.

“Thank you McCree, but you have no need to thank me. I was just protecting my fa... my associates.” The cowboy picked up on the sullen tone in Hanzo’s voice.

“Were you about to call us family, Hanzo? Because I’m sure everyone would be more than happy to call you the same.”

The Japanese man looked up at McCree for a moment, gauging whether or not it was a joke, before diverting his gaze again.

“I appreciate your optimism, McCree, but this is not how you would say ‘my first rodeo’. I’ve been in this situation before. I already know the outcome. But, it is an outcome I am accustomed to.” A few scales flaked off of Hanzo as he moved his hands, placing them in his lap. “I expect nothing less.”

To McCree, it felt like months of trust dissolved in an instant, like dandelions in a gust of wind.

“This is gonna sound rude Hanzo, but you don’t seem to think much of us if we’d hate you for what you did. I don’t think anyone’d hate the person who saved them. Besides, what outcome do you think’ll happen?”

Hanzo pursed his lips for a moment, before sighing. “I don’t think anyone will hate me for saving them. I do however know that people will be _scared_ of me for what I am. Perhaps you will pretend for a few days that you aren’t scared by what I can become,but it will happen. Gratitude can only stave off fear for so long.” He twiddled his thumbs as he thought. “Do not worry though. I won’t be insulted. It's happened enough times now not to hurt.”

McCree didn’t know what to say, only sitting in silence, watching a few more scales fall off of Hanzo’s skin, shimmering under the harsh florescent light. And then it hit him.

“Hanzo, remember a couple of months ago when you came into my room to talk? About secrets. Do you remember what I told you?” Hanzo looked up at McCree, with a raised eyebrow. “I said that I wouldn’t run, no matter what it was. Well, here I am. I won’t quit on you,and I’ll make sure no-one else does the same.”

Hanzo’s features softened for a moment, a brief ray of hope. “I suppose if anyone can do it, it would be you.” The Japanese man leaned back onto the pillows that propped him up, closing his eyes. “I have heard an expression used once or twice in my travels. I believe it was nothing ventured, nothing gained.” When he opened his eyes again, they were no longer the electric blue they had been moments ago. “I.. appreciate it, Jesse.”

It took McCree a few moments to process what Hanzo had said, so used to being called by his last name that it took a bit to register his first being used. He felt his heart flutter, his cheeks redden, and his knees weaken, just from one sentence.

“Uh, w-well, you’re welcome, Hanzo.” Placing his hat back on his head, he tilted it down more than usual to cover his face. “Well, since I’ve got some work to do, I better get to it. And Hanzo?” McCree tilted his hat back up to look Hanzo in the face, his blush fading. “Get well soon.”

With that, he left the room, leaving Hanzo to rest in peace and quiet. Besides, he had some things to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wahoo what a chapter. I changed up my usual playlist for writing this, so instead of being dubstep, it was sad video game music with pianos.  
> McCree is starting to realize he has a big ol gay crush on Hanzo and it is wonderful. 
> 
> Now I've been toying with this idea for a while, but wanted to test the waters now. I've been considering re-writing this entire fic once it's done, but from Hanzo's perspective. A lot is missed when it's just McCree, such as the conversation Genji and Hanzo had this chapter. of course, I don't want to write it if it turns out it will get a bad reception (lol) Let me know what you think either in the comments below or by sending me an ask at apheliavampire.tumblr.com


	10. Hands held tight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hands held tight, dragging those back from the depths of despair.
> 
> Aka McCree is pretty much an angel at this point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIC WARNING: If you are triggered by mentions of dismemberment, or simply wish to avoid it, from the line “I am able to continue McCree." to "Hanzo’s breath shook as he stopped" is best to be avoided!

After the talk McCree had with Hanzo, he decided the best course of action was to first gauge the reaction of the rest of the team. While he was sure everyone wasn’t as scared of Hanzo as the man himself thought, it was still better to be safe than sorry. After all, McCree had lived long enough to know basing everything on an assumption led to bad things,including his original assumption of Hanzo. In order to understand the general feelings of everyone who worked at Overwatch and those that had been present for the incident, he decided to hold a meeting, calling everyone who had been at the battle. With Winston's permission, McCree gathered everyone into the mess hall, seating himself at the head of the table.

“Now most of y'all should know why I called you here today. On one hand, I wanna pat us all on the back for havin’ made it out of that shit show of a surprise back there. But on the other hand, I don't think we woulda faired half as well without Hanzo savin’ our asses.”

There were a few murmurs, some of agreement and some of surprise.

“So, that dragon really was Hanzo?” Lucio asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

McCree nodded. “Indeed that was, and right now he thinks everyone here is scared of him.” Tipping his hat back, he leaned casually in the chair, watching everyone carefully.

Looks of confusion swept through the group, before Tracer piped up. “Well, he’s one of us right? We know he’s on our side so we can trust him. Besides, I doubt Winston or Angela would have let him in without knowing about that.”

Everyone turned their attention to the two mentioned, who both nodded.

“I run full background checks on anyone admitted to our group. Plus, Genji informed us beforehand as well as Hanzo himself.” Winston said, adjusting his glasses.

“Because I am the head medic, I was also informed so that I could take care of any mishaps. Any time he used his dragon form, I knew and was able to handle the aftermath that occurred to his body.”

The air seemed to lighten at that point, people confident that there was no harm in having Hanzo around. Even McCree had to admit he felt more relieved knowing that the people in charge of the whole operation knew about Hanzo beforehand and had checked him out before letting him in. Sitting back up properly, McCree looked at everyone seated in front of him.

“So, the general consensus is that we’re not like other people in Hanzo’s life. We know about him bein’ a dragon, and we ain’t afraid of it. Hell, I’d wager some of us are thankful for it, especially after yesterday. Now that that’s out of the way, we need to figure out a way to help Hanzo realize we’re not about to abandon him over somethin’ like this. Genji, any thoughts?”

Genji placed his hand on his chin, obviously in deep thought. “Well, a good place to start is by treating him normally. He will most likely try to hide himself away, however. He would do it when we were younger. Sometimes I would find him sulking in his room because someone had seen what he was - what we were - and rejected him. It was a common enough occurrence that it broke something in Hanzo, I think.” Moving his hand away from his chin, he waved it in the air. “Anyway, just treating him like you normally do should be good enough. I think McCree will be tasked with making sure he doesn’t lock himself away.”

McCree glanced at Genji, a worried look on his face. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for it, but why do ya suggest me?”

Genji tilted his head slightly in response.

“He doesn’t seem to mind your company.”

McCree chuckled slightly.

“And here I thought I kept annoyin’ the poor bastard.” Lifting his hat off his head, Jesse ran his fingers through his hair, pushing back loose strands out of his face. Placing his hat back on, he stood up. “Well I mean, I didn’t really have much else to discuss, unless anyone else has somethin’ they need to mention?”

Everyone shook their heads.

“I do.”

All the members present turned to find the voice, finding Fareeha standing in the doorway.

“It’s not about your member in the sick bay, however. It’s about the security.” As she walked, her hair swayed, the golden tips of her braid glinting in the florescent lighting. “I used to work in a security firm in Egypt, and decided to take it upon myself to help increase the already heavily fortified protection here. There was technology that was being developed, cloaking technology. I actually really only came here to give Winston a sample for reverse engineering.” Winston pushed up his glasses as he was handed a large bag. “They’re panels that can be placed on a roof, and then programmed to mimic the environment around them, or whatever else you want. That way, if we need to disappear into the trees, we can.”

Everyone could tell that the meeting was over, all choosing to get up and go their separate ways, doing what they wanted. Jesse left, leaving the two to talk tech, wandering back to the hospital room where Hanzo was. He didn’t want to leave the man alone, something pulling him back. McCree felt it was best to trust whatever strange feeling it was, trying as quietly as he could not to wake the now sleeping Hanzo.

Sitting himself down in the seat next to Hanzo’s hospital bed, he took off his hat, laying it in his lap. His mother always taught him to take his hat off to be respectful, so that way he could meet the other person’s eyes instead of obscuring them with the brim of a hat. As he sat, watching, McCree thought about the brief meeting the team had had. Mulling it over, he decided the best course of action was to not tell Hanzo. After all, putting himself in Hanzo’s shoes, he realized how it could come off. People treating him the same as usual after a meeting? A potential ruse, people solely being nice to him because it was discussed, not because that’s truly how they felt. Instead, it would be carried silently. A way of shielding Hanzo from dark thoughts. 

As he continued to watch Hanzo, his eyes locked on to Hanzo’s chest. The gentle rise and fall felt almost hypnotic, calling him to sleep. Adjusting himself into the seat, he continued to watch, feeling his eyes slowly shut. After the hell they had all been through, McCree suddenly felt heavy with the weight of it all, the only thing keeping him grounded were the soft beeps of the heart monitor, and the gentle sound of Hanzo - the amazing, wonderful Hanzo - breathing. 

When McCree drifted off, he dreamed of dragons. Lightning that protected instead of harmed. And Hanzo, determined yet far away.

McCree woke up when he heard his name being called.

“McCree?” Hanzo asked.

As the cowboy opened his eyes, memories of his dreams still lingered, before vanishing completely.

“Ah, sorry” McCree said, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. “Musta dozed off for a bit.” Picking his hat off the floor, he placed it onto the back of the chair, stretching out as he did. “How’re you feelin Hanzo?”

The Japanese man looked at him, scrutinizing him, fingers scrunching up the stark white bedsheets.

“I feel like I’ve had 100 bullets in me” he finally said, letting go of the sheets as he did, smoothing them out again. “Which, I suppose, is an accurate assessment.” Sighing, Hanzo sat up and rubbed the stubs where his legs used to be, seemingly upset that he was not wearing his prosthetics.

“You know Hanzo, you never told me how you got your prosthetics. From one fellow user to another, I’m rather curious.” McCree brushed his mechanical arm, not entirely aware he was doing it. “Not about whatever caused you to need them, just the things themselves, of course.” He corrected, not wanting to give Hanzo the wrong idea.

“Hmm? Well, the prosthetics were made for me by one of the greatest prosthetics designers in Japan. An expert in robotics too, he ensured that they would still be useful to me in my line of work.” Hanzo gestured at the foot of his bed where his legs lay almost haphazardly, the dark steel seeming to absorb the light that hit it. “If you wanted to know why I got them in the first place... Well, I think I could tell that story. Only if you promised to tell me yours.”

Hanzo leaned off his bed slightly, tapping at McCree’s mechanical arm.

“Well hell, seems only fair. You get to go first, though.”

The Japanese man nodded, leaning into the pillows that propped him upright.

“Back when I was younger, a few days after I had recieved my clan tattoo, the elders summoned me to their chamber. They told me that they had an assignment. I was to kill a dangerous clan leader who had killed a few of the older assassins sent in. For some, it sounded like a death sentence, one that should have been turned away. But, my honor was at stake. As well as the life of Genji. Back then, he was still in the favour of the clan, and so it fell to my shoulders to complete the mission. If I had turned it down, they would have sent Genji in instead. I did not want that to happen to him.”

Hanzo closed his eyes, letting out a sigh.

“Armed with nothing but a sword and a small knife, I was told to infiltrate their complex and assassinate that which threatened our clan. Despite the high security, I managed to get in without a hitch, or at least, that is what I thought. I was naive. I made my way through long winding hallways, time itself seeming to stand still. Eventually, I came to a large room, sparse aside from the shrine at the back of it. As I approached it, I heard the soft click of a door closing, locking automatically. When I turned, my target was standing in front of me, a grin on his face and sword pointed in my direction. He was happy I was there, that I had been stupid enough to fall into his trap. That he was honored - honored!- to be able to destroy the next leader of the Shimada clan.”

McCree watched as Hanzo’s fists clenched, fury burning in his eyes.

“Hanzo, you don’t have to continue if you don’t wanna.”

The Japanese man let out a short breath, almost like a huff.

“I am able to continue McCree. I am merely... angry at having fallen for a trap.” Relaxing his hands, he continued. “As I was saying. He spouted nonsense, acting as if I had already been slain by his hand. I used that time to ready my blade, catching him by surprise. I did not want to go down without a fight. Especially not to someone who had killed members of my clan before. Taking advantage of his surprise, I swung my blade, managing to nip his arm with it. It did not send fear into him. Instead it only fueled his rant about how I was as good as dead. And then, he attacked. He was fast. Not as fast as Miss Oxton, but still quick. All of my training came down to that moment, keeping his blade away from myself in order to live. Each flash of his sword was met with my own, a dance of life and death. One false move on my part cost me dearly. Knocked onto the floor, I was helpless. I scrambled to get up, but my feet found no purchase in the wooden floors. In the end, I was pushed up against the shrine, my back up against a wall. Then, in one fell swoop, he cut off my legs. He laughed in my face, enjoying the moment, bragging about how I could now no longer run away, thoroughly enjoying himself. My body was in agony, but I remained silent. It was my duty to kill him, and I found a way with the removal of my legs. He asked if I had any last words, any last requests before he killed me. I said I had just one. Acting as quick as I could, I picked up one of my now amputated leg and threw it at him. My target dodged it, thinking it was my only attack, until a knife was in his throat. His laughing was nothing but a gurgled mess then. With their leader dead, my clan was able to send others in for me, to get me patched up. The most horrible part of it all wasn’t the loss, but the fear I felt. Not fear of my target, not fear for the potential loss of my life, but fear for what the elders would say. While I had killed the man, I had suffered a great loss in return. As soon as I was fitted with my prosthetics, I pushed myself to be able to function in them again. What would take someone years to do took me months. I...”

Hanzo’s breath shook as he stopped, his hands shaking slightly. It was clear to McCree that after all these years, he still feared those who were now long since dead. Almost without thinking, McCree held Hanzo’s hands, trying to calm his nerves.

“Hey now. It’s okay. What’s done is done. I’m just glad you’re okay.” Hanzo looked at McCree’s hands, and then to his face. The cowboy couldn’t help but feel like the Japanese man was a serene pool of water. While on the outside he seemed calm and collected, underneath, he bubbled with life. “I’m sorry for makin’ you relive that though. I really didn’t mean to pry.”

Hanzo shook his head. “It is fine. You did not push me. I thought I could handle it. Turns out, I still cannot. Anyway, cowboy, it is your turn. tell me how you lost your arm. That is, if it will not cause you pain.”

Jesse laughed slightly. “Thank you for your concern Hanzo but my story isn’t nearly as terrifyin’ as yours. It all started when...”

Before he could finish his sentence, Angela walked in. “McCree? What are you doing here?”

“Talkin’ with Hanzo, makin’ sure he’s alright.”

“Well, that’s all well and good, but I also need to check on him. Alone. It's a private examination.”

McCree sighed, letting go of Hanzo’s hands.

“I’ll tell it to you some other time, then. After all, I owe you a story.”

The Japanese man nodded, then turned his attention to Angela. Picking up his hat, McCree left the room. Once he was sure he was out of sight, he slumped onto the floor, looking at his hands, still warm from when they held Hanzo’s. His heart raced and his mouth felt dry.

“Why.... Why do I feel so nervous right now? Why do I feel so happy that I got to hold Hanzo’s hands?” Jesse wasn’t sure of the answer. He desperately wanted to be.

“Maybe it’s love?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy howdy work sure fuckin' kicked my ass, thanks school holidays. 
> 
> I'm not really sure what to put here, so as per usual, if you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line at 
> 
> apheliavampire.tumblr.com. Or just yell at me if ur in the high tiddy discord chat. It ya boi, McNyanzo. 
> 
> now i can crawl away and suffer


	11. Kintsugi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> McCree finally has to come to terms with what he's thinking.  
> And someone has to shine with gold.  
> McCree finally realizes how thirsty he really is. But hey, it just might pay off in the end.

After a week’s stay in the hospital, Angela finally declared that Hanzo was free to leave. The first thing the cowboy noticed was how pale the archer looked. The second thing was how handsome he looked with his hair down. McCree, ever the gentleman, offered to look after Hanzo as he got used to their new home. “Well, since you’ve been in the hospital, a few things have happened,” the cowboy drawled, his human arm resting on Hanzo’s shoulders as they walked. “The roof now has some weird panel things from Egypt. They cloak us if we need it, which is pretty neat.” Turning his attention to Hanzo, he studied his face, watching the confused look he had at McCree’s arm. “Oh, uh, right. Sorry. Didn’t realize you didn’t like to be touched.” As he went to remove it, Hanzo gently placed his hand on it to stop it. 

“No, it’s fine. It is... pleasant.” McCree grinned, leaving his arm in place as the two continued. 

“We’ve also got biometric scans in some places, so Winston wants to see you after the tour to get you into the system.” Hanzo raised an eyebrow. 

“I would have thought I already was. Were the scans not transferred from our last base?” Jesse shook his head. 

“Didn’t have time. We had 15 minutes to grab what we could and then evacuate. You were unconscious, there was still the threat of talon agents coming back... We couldn’t risk it.” The Japanese man nodded, seeming to understand. 

“It does seem a shame, though.” Then, Hanzo’s eyes widened slightly. “I realize now that everything I had was left at the base. Assuming that is, no one had time to go back and collect things for me as well as themselves.” The cowboy chuckled. 

“Well, prepare to be tickled pink when we get to your room. Me and Genji made sure to grab some of your stuff. Some clothes, a few pictures we found layin’ around. Anythin’ that looked important, really.” Hanzo sighed, sounding relieved. 

“Thank you. I shall have to find Genji later on to thank him as well. Is there anything else I need to know?” McCree paused, thinking about it. 

“Well, Fareeha, Ana and Mei are at this base, so we have a few more members for you to meet.” Hanzo simply nodded.

“It will be nice to get to know them.” 

As the two walked, McCree rambled on about places in the base. Pointing out the training room, the kitchen, and the meeting room where they both saw Winston furiously typing away. “Since we are here, I should first visit Winston to be placed back into the system.” Hanzo sighed, slipping out from McCree’s arm. 

“Well, I’ll wait for ya here, Hanzo.” Leaning against a wall, McCree tossed him a half-assed salute while Hanzo knocked at the door. Ten minutes later, Hanzo reappeared, grimacing. “Did things not go well?” Hanzo shook his head. 

“They went fine, but I feel disgusting. I’ve had to forgo personal hygiene for a week while I recovered. I could do with a shower, and to brush my teeth. I imagine I smell horrible.” The cowboy scrunched his eyes, and then took a whiff, much to Hanzo’s horror. McCree couldn’t say that the smell was bad. Stale sweat, the lingering scent of blood (how it still was on him, McCree couldn’t begin to fathom), a hint of antiseptic and something else he couldn’t identify, though it seemed unique to the Japanese man.

“You don’t smell bad to me” McCree finally said, shrugging as he pushed himself off the wall. 

“Perhaps to you. To others, not so much.” Jesse laughed lightly, enjoying how close Hanzo seemed with him in the moment. 

“Well then, I’ll take you to your room, you can grab some clothes, and then I can show you where the men's bathroom is. The showers here are _de_ -vine I must say.” Before McCree could say anything else, he saw it. Hanzo smiling. 

“I appreciate the effort you’re going through for me, McCree. You must have better things to do I’m sure.” The cowboy felt his heart leap, wanting to throw himself down at Hanzo’s feet and declare his undying loyalty to the man. But he resisted. 

“Everyone’s got the day off today after all the drills and work we’ve been doin’. In fact, some of ‘em wanted to know if you wanted to join them for poker later tonight.” Jesse watched Hanzo stiffen slightly. 

“If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to,” McCree’s voice took on a calming tone. “We’ve all just kinda missed you while you were in there, especially with Angela on the watch. She’s a good medic, but god help you if you stay when she needs to fix someone up.” 

They continued their walk, stopping by Hanzo’s new room to grab some clothes for the Japanese man to change into. A few minutes were spent with Hanzo pawing through his stuff, making a mental note of what was kept and what was left. “I see you managed to grab my bow off the roof, and my com link.” He ran his fingers over his bow, tracing the design as if it were the first time he had laid eyes on it. Placing the bow carefully back on his bed, he continued to look around, pausing when he came to a box shoved deep under his bed. Opening the lid, he quickly closed it, the tips of his ears turning a bright red. “I don’t know who deemed this important, but I do question their sense.” Shoving the box back under the bed, he got up and quickly grabbed some clothing, all the while keeping his back turned to the cowboy. 

“Well, I guess I do have a pretty weird sense of importance, but I did try to grab as much stuff as possible, so pretty much all of it is there. Your room is pretty sparse Hanzo.” The Japanese man blushed further. 

“Was sparse, McCree,and will continue to be so.” McCree didn’t fail to notice when Hanzo took a breath, trying to calm himself. Jesse guessed it was simply for whatever it was that was in the box. It had been a week after all, and a long one at that. Even McCree couldn't remember what its contents were. 

“Anyway, have you got everything you need? The sooner you’re showered, the sooner I can take you outside.” That made Hanzo turn around, his cheeks still a light pink, though it quickly faded. 

“Outside? Is there something special out there?” He raised an eyebrow, waiting for some kind of explanation.

“Nothin’ special, just figured you’d like a chance to stretch your legs and get some sunlight after being cooped up for so long.” Hanzo considered it, picking up a tight black shirt and sweatpants. 

“Alright. But _after_ I’ve had a shower. Speaking of...” Hanzo shifted uncomfortably. “I know I’ve been demanding enough, but is there a chair in there I could use?” McCree felt slightly confused for a moment, wondering why Hanzo would need a chair until it hit him. 

“Right, can’t get your prosthetics wet, right? I think Winston mentioned puttin’ one in there.” The Japanese man seemed relieved.

“Good. To answer your question, I can, but it’s advisable not to get the internals wet. If I was unable to get them wet, any mission in the rain would put me out of commission.” McCree began to ponder how it would be an issue if shower water got onto Hanzo’s legs until he realized that all of his pants protected the lip from getting wet. Which led his mind down a dark path,one he quickly corrected.

“Anyway, if you’ve gotten everythin’, we can head off.” Hanzo cleared his throat. 

“If you could wait outside for a moment. I need to grab some... items.” McCree stared at him for a moment. 

“You mean underpants? I mean, I helped put them away, you can grab them without worryin’ I’ll faint faster than a southern belle in August.” Hanzo was mortified. 

“I do not know what to say, but... Please still wait outside.” 

“Alright then, I’ll wait.” Leaving the room, he heard the door slam behind him. It didn’t bother McCree however, who was too busy thinking about all the expressions he had seen from Hanzo so far today. It was a sight he still wasn’t used to, more or less used to the archer only showing emotion to his brother. A small part of him hoped it was because he was starting to trust them. A smaller part hoped it was just because Hanzo was starting to trust _him_. A few seconds later, Hanzo exited his room, clutching a bundle of clothing close to his chest. 

“So, where are these showers?” Hanzo asked, tilting his head slightly. 

“Well, just follow me and I’ll take ya there.” Gesturing for Hanzo to follow, the two walked down the hallway, enjoying a pleasant conversation along the way. Soon enough, they reached the showers. “While you’re in there, I’ll wait out here.” Whipping out a phone from his pocket, he shooed Hanzo into the showers while he sat on the floor, playing whatever app he could find on his phone. 

Fifteen minutes later, Hanzo emerged, feeling much better than he had when he went in. His hair was still wet, and his black shirt clung to his body. “Well, how do ya feel Hanzo?” McCree asked, closing the app and standing up. 

“Much better...” Hanzo seemed relaxed, all of the tension gone from his limbs. “It seems you were right, McCree. The showers here are _de-vine_.” McCree snorted, enjoying Hanzo’s attempt to mimic his Southern accent. In his arms were a bundle of his old clothes. “I’ll put these in my room, then we can go outside as you suggested.” Content with that answer, they walked back, placing Hanzo’s clothing in his room before heading outside. 

Once outside, Hanzo marveled at the forest surrounding them, sunlight playfully flitting through the trees. “It’s so... green.” Hanzo finally said, taking tentative steps outside of the base, allowing the warm rays to hit him. “I can... see why you wanted to bring me out here.” McCree smiled softly, watching Hanzo enjoy the outside world that was different from their last base. 

“Well, one reason was that it’s gorgeous. The second reason being that you looked like you needed a bit of sun after being cooped up inside. A chance to stretch your legs, move around...” McCree followed Hanzo outside, leisurely stretching. “Plus I’m sure you want to know your new surroundings, inside and out,” he added quietly. “Shall we?” Hanzo looked at him for a moment before hesitantly nodding. There were still hints of fear, McCree could tell. Fear that McCree was scared of him, fear of being left alone. “The forest here is pretty dense, which means an attack from the forest will be hard for anyone. Plus, with only one entrance here, it leaves less room for attack.” McCree babbled on, before pausing. “Oh yeah, we should probably let you meet the lady who lives in the top part of the building. She’s an overwatch agent, but we posted her here to keep up the appearances of it being a home, not the base of a large scale operation. I mentioned her before, Mei?” Hanzo nodded.

“I am somewhat familiar with her work in climatology. Is there a reason she’s here, aside from looking after a house?” McCree shrugged.

“Out of all of us, she’s the least known due to her time in the Arctic. Due to the fact she didn’t age while there either, most people don’t recognize that it's the same Mei that wrote papers on climatology that helped make the world not so fucked as it could have been.” Hanzo seemed to consider that, then nodded, obviously eager to explore.

“A childish part of me wants to climb to the roof of the house,” Hanzo said, looking at the dull brown roof, eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief. “Another, more rational part of me however, recognizes that the leaves growing on the side of the house are ivy, and I’d have to go back to the hospital if I touched it.” Hanzo sighed, turning his attention away from the house and instead focusing on the one entry in and out of the forest. “May we explore? I want to see what’s past here. That is, if we’re allowed to.” McCree knew what Hanzo meant. If _Winston_ had allowed them to go look. Thankfully the answer was simple.

“We are, but we just can’t go too far from the house. There’s a field just past here, filled with long grass. We can check it out if you’d like.” The Japanese man nodded, seemingly delighted at the idea. McCree wondered what had happened in the last week to get Hanzo so expressive. Was it the fact that he was out of the hospital after so long? The gunslinger tried not to read too much into it, instead just enjoying his company. “Let me just quickly tell Winston that we’re headin’ off. I’ve got my com link on me so it’ll be quick.”

After a few brief words with Winston, they set off, almost eager be away from everything. The long grass swayed gently in the wind, bending out of the way as they walked through. “It seems so nice here,” Hanzo said wistfully, his eyes far away. “Almost makes me want to take a nap.” He paused, realizing how ridiculous the sentiment was. Until McCree pulled off his serape and placed it down, flattening some of the grass in the process.

“The only ridiculous thing is the fact that you’re not doin’ it right now” McCree said with a wink, laying down on one half of his serape. Hanzo seemed suspicious, before gracefully laying down beside him. “Feel free to take a nap. The sun is nice, and it’s a good day for it. I’ll be here when you wake up, I promise.” And with that, he took off his hat, placing it carefully on his face. 

When he awoke, the sky was a burnt orange, warmth slowly fading as McCree sat up, groggy from his nap. Looking beside himself, he found Hanzo, still asleep, a serene look on his face, hair sprawled out on the serape beneath. Rolling his shoulders, McCree yawned, laughing slightly at himself. While his intention had been to get Hanzo outside to stretch, he had instead brought him out for a nap. Seeing the Japanese man lying there made McCree’s heart swell. But, he had to break the spell. “Hanzo, hey, it’s time to get up,” McCree gently said, shaking him awake. “It’s almost dinner time.” The Japanese man blinked a few times, unsure where he was as he sat up. “Come on, Hanzo. I’m sure you’ll be happy to have food that isn’t jello or whatever it is you got fed in there.” Placing a kiss on Hanzo’s cheek, McCree pushed himself off the blanket, only realizing what he had done when he went to offer a hand to help Hanzo up, who was now blushing furiously. “Oh god, I’m sorry, it’s just a habit.” McCree stuttered, going bright red himself. Hanzo seemed to be at a loss for words.

“What... kind of habit was that?” He asked, being careful not to step on McCree’s serape as he got up. 

“From when I lived with my ma. I used to kiss her on the cheek when I woke her up... Old habits die hard I guess.” While McCree felt like dying, a small part of him also felt elated. Hanzo seemed satisfied with the answer, but was still furiously blushing. 

“A-anyway, you are right. I’m quite looking forward to food that isn’t hospital mush.” They seemed to want to put the whole ordeal behind them as McCree picked up his serape, brushing off the dirt and grass. Slipping it back on, he awkwardly rubbed his metal arm. 

“Shall we get goin’?” McCree asked, pulling out a cigarette from his pants pocket. Putting it in his mouth, he lit it, taking a deep drag. Offering one to Hanzo, he put them away when the Japanese man declined. “I don’t smoke inside, so I rarely get a chance to enjoy it these days. What with us bein’ all cooped up and all.” McCree started to walk, Hanzo trailing behind him. 

“Are you a big smoker?” Hanzo asked, jumping on any topic that allowed him to move past the kiss from beforehand. McCree looked at Hanzo, blowing out another puff of smoke.

“Not like I used to be. When I learned my.... Papi died, I fell hard into the habit. For a while there, it felt like the only thing keepin’ me alive. Eventually I calmed down but... well... kind of hard to give up now.” The Japanese man pursed his lips, trying to think of something to say. 

“I’m... sorry for your loss.” Hanzo said it quietly, placing a hesitant hand on McCree’s shoulder as a sign of condolence, before letting it slip off again. Jesse just shrugged, finishing off his cigarette before they went inside, stomping the burning butt into the ground. 

“Anyway, enough of that sad crap. You’re going to eat somethin’ that isn’t mush, and then you’re going to decide whether or not you want to come to poker tonight.” His tone was confident, a smile on his face. “I promise, no one’s afraid of you.” McCree added in a gentle tone, wanting to reassure Hanzo. The Japanese man crossed his arms. Jesse knew that language. _Guarded._ “Come to dinner and see, then.” Walking through the door, he left Hanzo to stand there.

Dinner time was a special treat for all of Overwatch, with Ana deciding to cook for everyone instead of letting everyone fend for themselves. The mess hall was abuzz with chatter, everyone sitting at the long table in the middle of the room. When McCree and Hanzo walked in, people turned to see who it was, before turning back to their conversations. The Japanese man clung to McCree’s serape, almost like a child. Half guiding, half pulling Hanzo to the table, he gestured at one of the seats next to Tracer.

“I’m not going to bite, luv,” she said, laughing slightly and patting the seat beside her. Nervously, Hanzo sat, seeming to relax when McCree sat next to him. “So, you were that dragon on the field, huh?” Tracer asked excitedly, bouncing in her chair slightly. McCree looked at her as if to say _tactful_. 

“I, uh. Well, yes, I was the dragon... On the field.” Any of Hanzo’s usual grace was gone, replaced by what McCree could only call fear. Tracer’s eyes lit up.

“That was so cool, Han!” she said, stamping her feet and smiling like an idiot. The archer seemed to relax slightly, taking her joy as a sign of acceptance. “Tell me you’re coming to poker tonight?” Tracer asked, eyes imploring. 

“We shall see,” Hanzo replied, some of his confidence returning. “I’ll think about it over dinner.” A small smile played on his lips. McCree didn’t know why, but he felt like everything would be okay at that point. 

A few people came up to Hanzo throughout dinner, talking to him about various things. But there was always two recurring messages. Glad to see you back, and _thank you_. McCree watched Hanzo gracefully thank each of them in turn. “After all,” he said to each and every person who came up to him. “We worked as a team, did we not?” Internally, Jesse was happy. It seemed Hanzo’s fears of being rejected were being slowly but surely destroyed. Hanzo’s new family, Overwatch, welcomed him with open arms. It seemed like only a year ago that Hanzo had joined, that day coming back to him like it was happening in front of his eyes. 

_Hanzo, stony faced, standing in front of the seven members of Overwatch, Genji by his side. Murmurs exchanged between the two, the Japanese somehow like knives in the small room. A sigh, his name said with a cold hard edge. But McCree couldn’t help but feel like it was a show, a front put up to distance himself. His profession, his skills, all laid out methodically. His bow was mentioned, resting gently on the table in front of them. Genji touched his shoulder, but Hanzo tensed, the hand then removed. Then four simple words. “Are we done here?” Hanzo’s inky black eyes pierced McCree before he left, taking his bow with him. A collective sigh, held breaths finally released._

McCree was pulled back to the present when Hanzo gently held his arm, his face full of concern. “Sorry, just had a thought is all,” he drawled, smiling and patting Hanzo’s hand as it moved away. Hanzo, McCree thought, was much different now. Much better. “So, have you decided on whether or not you’re coming to poker tonight?” McCree asked, leaning back in his chair, all his attention on the Japanese man. 

“Perhaps... another time. I still have to get used to being around so many people after being in the hospital for a week.” Despite the nap they had earlier, Hanzo looked tired, like just being in a room with a large amount of people was draining him of energy.

“Well, no pressure then,” McCree said. “If you want to, you’re welcome to go back to your room.” Hanzo pondered it for a moment, before tilting his head.

“You said you’d show me outside, right? I hope you’re a man of your word...” A small smirk played on Hanzo’s lips. McCree smiled right back.

“Of course. Though, as I recall, I showed you and then we had a nap.” McCree’s tone was light and teasing. Hanzo followed suit.

“Did I fail to tell you, gunslinger? I’m actually part cat.” The archer laughed, getting up from his chair, taking his now empty plate with him to the kitchen. McCree followed closely behind, placing his in the sink next to Hanzo’s empty plate. “I’ll just need to grab a coat before we go,and tie my hair up.” He ran a hand through his hair, shaking it slightly. “It’s quite unruly when it’s out.” McCree squinted, unable to find a single strand out of place.

“Whatever you say...” The two looked at each other for a moment, before looking away. They walked together to Hanzo’s room, in an almost comfortable silence. Something over the last week had changed, McCree mused, waiting once again outside of Hanzo’s room. He wasn’t entirely sure what. Yes, perhaps he did have a crush on the archer. _Love_ his brain told him. The thought was quickly shoved away. But a one sided crush didn’t explain the way Hanzo looked at him today. Was he reading too much into it, or not enough he wondered, stopped short by Hanzo coming out a few seconds later in a plain black coat, his hair tied up with a red ribbon. _The same color as my serape_ McCree idly thought, tugging at his serape self consciously. McCree could tell Hanzo was expecting him to say something, so he cleared his throat. “Well now, uh, are you ready to go?” Hanzo smiled, a soft smile that made McCree melt inside.

“I am.” Hanzo seemed to hesitate for a moment, before looping his arm through McCree’s, gently pulling him along until he caught on. Jesse felt on fire, wherever Hanzo’s hands touched burning. _Okay, so maybe it_ _**was** __love_. They walked like that, arm in arm, until they reached the surface. Hanzo let go as he slowly walked out, the moon above shining brightly, the woods lit up with dozens of fireflies. The Japanese man exuded serenity as he walked, turning around to face Jesse. “Are you coming, or are you just going to stand there?” McCree didn’t need much coaxing, stepping out to follow Hanzo. As Jesse fell into step next to Hanzo, he smiled.__

__“Sure is a beautiful night, ain’t it.” McCree said, directing his attention to the skies above, littered with millions of stars. Without light from the city, the stars shone brightly, an almost blinding reminder of hope. Hanzo hummed happily by his side, no words needed. Not venturing too far, they ended up sitting on the edge of the forest, staring at the stars and the fireflies, few words exchanged, both just enjoying the quiet company of the other. Eventually though, they had to go back inside. “I almost want to sleep out here, you know?” McCree said, getting up off the ground, offering a hand to Hanzo._ _

__“I agree with you, surprisingly,” Hanzo said teasingly, accepting the help. “Seems almost a shame to go inside, but we must.” The archer’s hand lingered in McCree’s own before being pulled away. “Thank you for tonight,” he said as they both walked slowly back to base. “For today as well. Just, _thank you_ , Jesse.” Stepping into the doorway, Hanzo looked at McCree who stared back, expression laced with awe. “After years of being feared, feeling broken... Somehow you fixed it.” Hanzo closed his eyes for a moment, unsure how to proceed. “There is a process in my home country called kintsugi... repairing broken things with gold to highlight the cracks instead of hiding it. It almost feels like you’ve done that to me.” The archer smiled, and McCree’s heart felt like it would burst._ _

__“I like you!” McCree blurted out, covering his mouth as soon as he said it, almost regretting his words. “I’m sorry, please forget I said that. I mean, we’re not even friends yet.” Hanzo leaned casually on the door frame, mock indignation written on his face._ _

__“Not even friends? And here I was thinking we were, especially considering your proposition.” His face was playful as he put a hand on his chest, his cheeks betraying his feelings. “You wound me McCree.” The gunslinger paused. They were friends? Hanzo was actually considering dating McCree?_ _

__“So, you’ll date me?” he asked, his mouth working faster than his brain._ _

__“I guess it’s been a long time coming, Cowboy.” Hanzo gestured for McCree to come forward, pulling him in for a kiss as soon as he was able to. Suddenly, everything felt right in the world._ _

__McCree was the first to pull away, gasping for air, cheeks a deep red. “I, uh, wow,” he stammered, resisting every urge to slink down into the ground. “So I guess that... Well that’s a thing.” Hanzo laughed, slightly breathless himself._ _

__“It is indeed. I’d also wager it means we’re dating now.”_ _

__“You bet. Though...” McCree’s face became serious. “I do want to establish some stuff first.” Hanzo looked wary, making McCree soften again. “Nothin’ too serious, just wanted to make sure we’re clear about actually datin’. Whether or not we can use pet names, that sort of thing. Call me old fashioned, but I just want to make sure we’re both on the same page.” Before he could continue, Hanzo’s finger was on his lips._ _

__“McCree, we’re dating. Leave it at that.” Pulling his hand away, Hanzo got off the door frame, sauntering inside. “Coming?”_ _

__“Of course.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY FINALLY KISSED FUCKING CHRIST 11 CHAPTERS IT TOOK. 11.  
> I'm screaming and ur screaming and we're all screaming.  
> So, at this point there's only about 2-3 chapters left, depending on how I space them out. After that there'll be a side story or two, it re-written from Han's perspective, and then that's the au! 
> 
> As always, you can follow me on tumblr at  
> apheliavampire.tumblr.com


	12. Peace, serenity, and ass kicking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip of nostalgia, of turning bitter memories sweet, and shameless flirting where appropriate (and one time it wasn't)

It had been six months since McCree and Hanzo had started dating. It had taken exactly two days for everyone in the base to know. Genji seemed to be the person most pleased about the revelation, saying he was glad that his friend and brother could find happiness in each other.

Long nights spent at the base were filled with each other’s company. Sharing stories and kisses alike, sometimes in the same breath. It took a while for them to fall into sync, but training together helped. They still didn’t know everything about each other, but they had enough. When the two were offered a chance to go on a mission in Japan, they took the chance. The location: Hanamura.

“This place still looks the same every time I come back,” Hanzo said as they stepped off the small charter plane. Hanzo’s face was filled with a calm that McCree could only describe as the serenity of coming home. Except instead of coming to mourn his fallen brother, he came to help protect the place he once lived. 

“Well, we have some free time before the apparent shit storm, so why not show me around?” McCree drawled, slinging his duffle bag on his shoulder. 

“I’ll show you everywhere there is to see.” Hanzo smiled, slinging his courier bag on, his bow following soon after. “It will also offer us vantage points for our work tonight. To think, we have to assault the Shimada stronghold... for gang activity. Considering my past it seems.... ironic? We were yakuza, Genji and I. I was slated to run the Shimada empire. And now I’m here to stop a budding new one where my clan once worked.” Hanzo didn’t sound bitter or angry, just amused. 

“I somewhat understand the sentiment,” McCree chimed in. “It's like if we were to go on a mission where Deadlock used to operate to take down a gang there. Though, in my case, it’d feel more like a reminder of how I could have ended up. Instead, I get to be surrounded by friends and handsome men such as yerself.” Hanzo smirked, a light blush playing on his cheeks. 

“Do you always have to give me compliments, McCree?”

“Only when I feel like it. Which is always.” That got Hanzo to crack a smile. 

\---

They engaged in small talk as they traveled from the airport to Hanamura, with Hanzo occasionally pausing to point out landmarks or things worthy of note. Hanzo did most of the talking, since McCree didn’t speak Japanese. Not that McCree minded taking the back seat, since he found it pleasant to hear Hanzo talk in his native tongue.

“So, where to first, pumpkin?” McCree asked, slyly wrapping an arm around Hanzo’s waist.

“To our safehouse first to drop off our equipment.” Hanzo laughed, his face lighting up as he did. “Then I will show you the city.” Jesse couldn’t argue with that, opting instead to kiss Hanzo’s cheek. 

“Then let's get this show on the road.” McCree said, tugging Hanzo up the steps to a small house, to which he had the key. Unlocking the front door, the two went inside, taking off their shoes at the entrance. Walking down the hall, they entered the first of three rooms, leaving their bags on the ground. They didn’t need to make anything neat as it wasn’t going to be a long trip, but still needed a private place to stay as inns and hotels couldn’t be trusted. “So, where to first? Since you’re gonna be playin' guide and all.” 

“Let's get out some of our surveillance items first, so we can do some work while we wander.” Hanzo said, pulling out what looked like a strange phone from one of the bags. “Then, we’ll go to the arcade. Genji used to love it there. It was almost like a second home for him.”

McCree smiled softly. “Sound like a plan, then.”

\---

As they walked through Hanamura, McCree watched as Hanzo seemed to almost gleefully point out places. He had a feeling that it was the first time in a long time that Hanzo could be happy about his old home town, and see his memories in a better light again. McCree understood why in some small way. No longer having to mourn his brother, and being in a somewhat stable relationship with him helped him to relax and relieve some of his previous guilt. Or at least, that’s what McCree thought. Although he could read people like a book most of the time, and although they were close, he still couldn’t get a read on Hanzo sometimes.

“And here is a spot my brother and I used to come to all the time as children” Hanzo said, snapping McCree out of his thoughts.

“A suspended walk way?” McCree asked, inspecting the small open room they found themselves in. 

“A chance for adventure that wasn’t in the confines of our temple walls. At least, it was for me. The guards didn't mind as they could still see us, yet it felt worlds apart from my usual life.” He sighed fondly, sliding a hand on the wooden door frame. “However, it now holds a new purpose. It acts as a great surveillance spot.” Pulling out the strange looking phone from his pocket, he turned it on, then removed the back, swinging outside to stick the phone to the exterior of the building. “Now we can see activity in this sector. Wait here, I will place more of these inside where no one can find them.”

McCree nodded. “I’ll meet you at the ramen shop then. See you in fifteen?”

“See you in fifteen. They understand English there, and I suggest trying their miso ramen.” With that, they both went their separate ways.

Fifteen minutes later as promised, Hanzo walked through the ramen shop’s doors and sat next to McCree, who had an almost finished bowl of ramen in front of him.

“How's the ramen?” Hanzo asked, an amused smile on his face. 

“Well, I reckon it tastes mighty fine. Thanks for the suggestion Hanzo.” Hanzo nodded then pulled out his phone, showing McCree the live feeds coming off their strategically placed cameras. 

“Everything is ready for tonight. With that out of the way, we can enjoy ourselves a bit more.”

McCree smiled and finished up what little ramen he had left. “Sounds good. Let's go.”

\---

After a full day of adventure, they decided to rest before their mission went underway, both curled against each other, only moving when their alarm went off just before sundown.

“Is it time already?” McCree yawned, stretching and moving an arm away from Hanzo to examine their alarm. 

“It appears so,” Hanzo murmured, yawning and getting up. “We must prepare our equipment and get ready for the battle to come.”

“Please, darlin'. After that whole Reaper attack, everythin’s a walk in the park.” Hanzo rolled his eyes. 

“You would do well not to underestimate your enemies.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m always prepared for the worst. But unless it’s one hundred to one? I think we can handle it.”

“Are you implying we could take one hundred men out together?” Hanzo arched a brow.

“Fifty a piece? Easy.” The teasing tone in McCree’s voice was loud and clear. He was trying to lighten the tension before they faced their task. Lazily removing the arm curled around Hanzo, McCree took a chance to look at the live feed now streaming to his phone. Swiping through the feeds, he made note of how many people he saw. “Looks to be twenty to thirty guys, includin’ Omnics.” 

Hanzo stretched and got out of bed, changing into his battle outfit. “A simple enough task it seems. I’ll look over the feeds myself in a moment. And McCree? It might be wise to leave your hat here.” 

McCree looked appalled. “Are you askin' me to leave Daisy here?”

“Yes,” Hanzo said simply. “Anywhere else it would be fine, but it makes you stand out on a stealth mission.” 

Jesse grumbled, but he understood why it had to be done. “Fine. For you darlin’, she stays here until we’re finished.” It earned him a kiss on the cheek. 

“Thank you. Shall we get going?” McCree nodded. It was show time.

\---

McCree and Hanzo silently moved along the walkways above the Shimada temple doors, making their way over the walls at the shortest point to infiltrate.

“Silence until all are confirmed dead. We work inwards. Am I clear, McCree?” Jesse nodded. “Then I'll meet you in ten.”

Hanzo scaled a wall that McCree could not, leaving Jesse to make his way downward to take care of people inside, where Hanzo couldn’t reach. Once again, his gun had a silencer on it in order to make it a silent mission. It was rare for Peacemaker not to be silenced these days, but he knew it was for good reason. People assumed that because he was always so loud - with spurs and heavy clunking shoes - that he’d be incapable of stealth, but he had been trained by the best. Blackwatch was specifically _for_ stealth. So much so that they could have died and no one would have known they were gone. But that was a thought for another time.

Silently making his way through the compound, he took out guards as quickly and as silently as he could, hiding the bodies as he went. As it was a small compound, it didn’t take him long to find his way inside, even if he took his time making sure their enemies were out cold. Of course, walking inside, he found a surprise waiting for him. Roughly fifteen men, all lined up and waiting.

“Well now, have you been waitin’ for lil old me?” McCree called, taking a step forward. One of them shouted something that he couldn’t understand and the group took aim. “That is a bad idea,” he drawled, readying Dead Eye. “I may have six bullets, but I can do a lot worse.” Once he was locked on, he simply drew his gun and fired. At the same time, unbeknownst to them, an arrow flew down from the rafters, hitting the back row of men with a well placed scatter shot. Placing his revolver in its holster, McCree heard his radio crackle, and then the familiar sound of Winston come through.

“Seems like you got all of them. We’ll have a helicarrier come pick you up tomorrow. Good work. Closing the line.”

\---

Adrenaline pumped through their veins as their last target was confirmed dead. “Well,” McCree called, looking up to the rafters where Hanzo was. “I feel excited all of a sudden. How about the two of us head back to our safe house an’ do somethin’ about it?”

There was a crackle over the com before he heard a breathless _’yes’_ and felt Hanzo quietly land beside him, instantly curling to his side. “I suppose the question your place or mine is moot,” McCree teased, wriggling his arm out from underneath Hanzo only to wrap it around him. 

“It is. The quicker we return, the quicker we can enjoy ourselves, _cowboy_.” McCree shivered slightly, already wishing he was at home so they could kiss and fall into their fevered passion properly. “What’s that saying you always tell me? 'Save a horse, ride a cowboy?' The only thing _riding_ anything tonight is you.” McCree felt a shiver run up his spine and excitement make his skin prickle. 

“Shall we?” McCree purred.

“After you,” Hanzo murmured in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took 10 months to write. I had 2 conventions, then work got busy, then writers block hit and then I just became a lazy piece of shit.  
> If you didn't notice, I removed the eventual smut tag. I decided to have it as a separate from the main fic so that readers who don't enjoy smut can still read this fic
> 
> As always, if you enjoyed this fic, feel free to drop a line at apheliavampire.tumblr.com 
> 
> Next chapter will be the epilouge, god knows when it'll come out  
> im so sorry lol


	13. Into the sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Closure.

As McCree and Hanzo stepped onto the plane - hair messy and wearing each other’s shirts, they let out a content sigh in unison. They sat next to each other, not saying a word, but not needing to, hands laced together, resting their heads on each other. For some reason, the world felt right. It felt _whole._

When the plane landed, the two happily walked hand in hand, almost ignoring Winston as they moved, still answering the questions he asked. It felt right that they walked into a sunset, into their hidden house base, where their makeshift family awaited.

They were _home_.

They were _happy_.

They were _whole_.

And _damn_ , were they in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short, but it kinda felt right.
> 
> And that marks the end of this fic. Which took me a year to write. More than a year. I hope you all enjoyed! There will potentially be more updates to the series, because I still have a one shot to write for this. And then we'll see where we go from there. 
> 
> Thank you to all those who stuck with me.
> 
> Betas note: All edited as of 8/16!

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to RaeValentine for editing this for me.  
> Drop me a line at: apheliavampire.tumblr.com  
> Drop the beta a line over at doughnutdarling.tumblr.com


End file.
